Your Guardian Angel
by Kibahina11
Summary: Akari believes guardian angels are the love of your life. What will happen when she meets the guardian angel she always visualized throughout her life? Will Owen become her guardian angel? Will he love her as well?
1. Chapter 1: Meeting my angel

My mother believed that when you visualized your guardian angel, you just saw the love of your life. My grandmother passed this belief on to my mother from the many generations of our ancestors and now she began to pass it on to me as well. She told me how she visualized her angel with long brown hair, a built body and beautiful hazel eyes, and her name was Angelica. This is a girl angel yes, but once she saw my father during their years of college my mother said he looked like he could be Angelica's twin angel brother, plus on top of that, his name is Angel. I always believed this since I was small, and though I still haven't found my angel yet, I was still hopeful to this day. Neither of my four ex-boyfriends looked like _my _angel, and even if the first few months were great, it fell apart towards the end, ending our relationship.

I imagined _my angel_ as a boy, with flaming red spikey hair, sparkly grey eyes, and a muscular body so that when he hugged me, I felt safe and secure with him, and his name is _Owen_. I was always looking for my Owen everywhere I went, but sadly, I never found him. But once I turned nineteen, I had a talk with my parents of going out on my own to find my own love and adventure out there somewhere, along with finding Owen. I was able to go since they respected my choices of what I wanted to be and I found this brouchure of becoming a rancher on an island with a town called Waffle Town. This sparked my interest, and I went to this Waffle Town.

A few days later, I was standing outside of my new house with Hamilton the mayor of Waffle Town. I stared in awe as Hamilton said, "Well here you go! I hope you like your house."

"I love it! Thank you Hamilton!" I cried in happiness.

He chuckled and told me he was glad to have me here on the island. "You should go introduce yourself to the rest of the people! You've already met some in Waffle Town and Souffle Farm," he added reminding me of the people who took care of me at the Sundae Inn and Meringue Clinic after a storm made me bump my head hard knocking me out cold on the boat.

I nodded, and bowed politely as he waved goodbye to me. As soon as he left, I ran inside my house and jumped around like a maniac in excitement of my newfound life. Then, I stopped and felt nervous as I thought _What am I gonna do for food?_ Yes I brought some instant soup, a few materials and money from home, but I was gonna have to spend it on farming and other important needs and those soups don't magically refill themselves... _I'll ask around for part time jobs at Souffle Farm _I thought since I just made a friend there called Anissa.

I got my stuff ready and headed out the door ready to explore. I went to Waffle Town and stopped at the tailoring first and met Luna, Candace, and their grandmother Shelly. Luna sounded a bit rude and bossy, but she seemed nice, and Candace was extremely shy but I knew she had a kind heart. Next, I went to the fishery, and met Ozzie, the shop owner, Paolo his son, and Toby, his laidback nephew who gave me a fishing pole as a gift.

"You can use it anytime, any day and especially when you want a nice nap..." he said serenely.

I giggled at his behavior and bowed down a thank you and went to meet some more people. I walked up the path towards Souffle Farm and wondered which way to go, then before I could decide, Anissa came outside greeeting me. "Helllo Akari," she said. "Come with me, I want to introduce you to another friend of mine in Brownie Ranch."

"Oh really?" I said as she lead the way. "That'd be nice Anissa, thanks!"

She smiled back saying she glad to introduce me. And at the ranch, I met Renee another instant friend, and her parents Cain and Hanna. After saying goodbye to them, I headed to the opposite path to the mines. As I walked three people were sprinting towards me at full speed. I didn't know what to do, so I flinched for cover and they stopped directly in front of me.

"YEAH!" said a boy around my age with azure hair, a bandana with orange flames and with golden cat eyes. He pumped his fist in the air and said, "I TOLD YOU GUYS I'D BEAT YOU!" The other two, a boy with sandy hair, and a small girl with orange hair panted at the side. The girl stopped panting, and she giggled furiously and the boy with sandy hair began to protest he wasn't even in the race and that he was trying to catch him so as to not get in trouble with Dale.

The small girl noticed me and waved hello. "Hi! I"m Chloe! I live at the blacksmith's, and my dream is to become a pirate! What's your name?"

"My name is Akari, I own a ranch here now!" I said amused at her cute behavior. "Come visit our shop someday! I live there with my grandfather and my older cousin! It was really nice to meet you Akari!" She waved goodbye to me and left for the blacksmith's.

Once Chloe left, the two boys noticed me after their arguement and introduced themselves. "Hello, I'm Bo I work at the carpenter's," the sandy haired boy said as he bowed down. I bowed down and introduced myself yet again.

"HEY! I'm Luke! I am the awesomest guy with the best axe skills on the island!" the other boy shouted with pride. Without warning, I started laughing at the way he acted. But instead of feeling offended, he laughed along with me. Bo, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and said he had to go back to work and bowed down a goodbye and left to the forest.

"You're cool! I don't know why we laughed, but I have a feeling we'll be great friends!" Luke told me once we stopped laughing, and this made me feel warm and happy as I beamed at him. Then he snapped his fingers and added, "In fact, now we can be the three musketeers! Come with me! I'll show you my best friend!"

At first, I thought he meant Bo, but he lead me to the blacksmith's. Then, as we rounded to the other side of the shop, Luke shouted, "Hey Owen!" And suddenly, I felt my heart then began to beat faster and faster as I saw him... There he was... My angel right there in front of me breaking stone with his hammer... My angel was _exactly _what I always imagined: The flamming red hair, that strong muscular body, and as he turned, I saw his sparkling grey eyes... I gaped at him stupified as Owen smiled and said, "Hey Luke! What's up?"

I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest anytime soon, especially once Luke said, "This is Akari! She's the new rancher here and I have a great feeling she's going to to be our third musketeer!"

"Oh really?" Owen said in a playful tone as he turned to look at me. My face heated up and I knew I was blushing wildly. "H-hello..." I managed to squeak out. Owen smiled at me and continued, "I actually have that same feeling too! I hope we can do our ritual now!"

_Ritual? _I thought. _What did they do? _I felt more nervous now... The two friends saw the look on my face, and began to laugh. Before Luke could say anything though, a voice called out to him in a stern way, "Luke! Get back here and get to work now!"

"Ah shoot! That's my pops... Well I gotta go, see ya! Here Akari, have my old axe. You might need it! It's also a token of my friendship!" he shouted as he ran towards the woods.

As I waved, I realized I was with Owen all alone... I turned back to look at Owen and I tried to give him one of my best smiles. He smiled back, and said, "I can tell you're really nice Akari! I really do mean that! Plus, I know we'll become best friends soon!" I held myself back from shouting something and replied, "I'm glad you think so Owen! I hope we'll b-be best f-f-friends!"

Owen nodded happily, and got out a hammer and he gave it to me. "Here you go! I guess it's another token of friendship." I took it and thanked him for it. "Well, I gotta get back to work! See you around Akari!" he said. Owen waved goodbye and he went inside the shop. I stood there looking dumbfounded and not believing my eyes! I was really glad I met Owen, and now I hoped that one day, we would be together someday... For now, he was just a friend that I have a crush on, but I hoped for more at the end... I now had to work my hardest at making my ranch successful, making a lot of friends here, and winning Owen's heart and love for me.


	2. Chapter 2: The Ritual

About two weeks and a half passed by and I was slowly earning more money by working mainly at Souffle Farm, Brownie Ranch, the Fishery, the Tailor's, at Dale's and of course, at Ramsey's. I also planted some crops and usually went fishing around Caramel Falls so I could ship some fish for sell. It was going really great for me! Since my house came with a barn and a a coop, I saved up some money to expand my house even more so I wouldn't feel very cramped up in my new home. But thanks to all the work though, I had completely forgotten what Luke said about making the "ritual" for my welcoming in the Three Musketeers.

And on the day after the Flower Festival on the 17th, I was casually fishing by the waterfall, till I felt a blindfold cover my eyes. I shrieked and some hands began to tickle me, making me laugh, and a voice laughed aloud and I immediately recognized it as Luke's.

"LUKE!" I screamed between the giggles. "What in the name of the Goddess are you doing?"

Luke continued to laugh along with me and said, "Well Akari, we're beginning our ritual to welcome you!"

"And you're kidnapping me because?" I asked as I tried to claw of the cover on my eyes.

"Well, we have a secret place," another loud and playful voice said and my whole body froze recognizing Owen. "It's a secret till you're offically in our group." My whole face to heat up as I felt those really strong gloved hands take me by the shoulder leading me somewhere I had no idea where. Luke was in front of us leading the way, shouting jokes at us for a few minutes until we reached a stop. When we stopped, I felt Owen sit me down on the floor and the warmth of a camp fire in front of me.

The blindfold left my eyes and I looked around the place. It was very damp but its smell was as if it had rained the day before ... I really liked that smell... It reminded me so much of...Owen... Yes, that's his scent. I loved it... My thoughts were brought back to reality when Luke called out to me. "Hey Akari? You ready?"

"Yeah, but where are we?" I asked him.

"Ganache Mine," Owen said smiling. "This is where I go mining. It's full of ores and wonderfuls that you can sell or refine with Mira." I secretly planned to come here another day so I could earn more money and so I could see Owen more often.

"Okay! First we begin with food!" Luke said as he took out two lunch boxes from his bag. I eyed them carefully and asked what was inside them. Luke's eyes got a mischievous look and he said, "Seafood Fried Rice, Buckwheat cocktail, Blueberry juice and boiled spinach with mayonnaise!"

I stared at him. Did he expect me to _eat _boiled spinach _with mayonnaise_? Apparently, he did expect me too... "You gotta eat these first," Owen told me. "You need to eat our favorite foods. That way, we know we'll have things in common with you. Luke's favorite food is spinach, obviously. Yeah I know it's gross but Luke and I do have a lot of things in common thanks to this," he finished and grinned at his best friend. I gaped even more at that...dish... I wasn't really a fan of spinach or mayonnaise and seafood... Well, as long as it wasn't squid or octopus I could eat it. I looked at Luke's hopeful face and laughed. I guess I could try eating this new food.

I smiled at him, and brought Luke's favorite closer to me. I looked at it once more, took a deep breath, cut off a respectable amount of it, and ate it. I chewed and chewed and tried not to gag. Finally, I swallowed and opened my eyes. My two friends were grinning at me and I forced myself to smile shakily. Now, Owen pushed his favorite dish to me and I quickly took a piece and and ate it hoping it would make the horrible taste go away. Owen chuckled at me and Luke brought out the drinks.

"If you can drink these, we know we can trust you," Luke said smiling.

"How is that?" I asked.

"Well, to us, if you drink it easily, it shows that you can keep any secrets we'll tell you," Luke explained. "But if you don't, and you spit it out or gag," he continued. "It shows that we can't trust you with any of our secrets!"

"Ah, I see," I said as I got the waterbottle in my hand. I hoped I liked blueberry juice... I lifted the bottle to my mouth, and took a sip. Once the juice flowed in my mouth, I instantly _loved _it! It was so sweet, very tasty and so juicy! I think I drank half of the bottle and I heard the two boys laughing at me. Shyly, I put down the waterbottle and giggled.

"I see you liked it!" Luke said cheerily. I giggled some more and glanced at Owen. His grey eyes twinkled at me and my face blushed faintly. My angel smiled at me and brought me his drink. But instead of getting it, I hesitated.

"I-I don't drink Owen," I said quietly.

"Oh yeah! I forgot, this cocktail is non-alcoholic," he replied. "Don't worry, this drink's all good."

I stared at the drink still, unsure if I should. "Trust me Akari," Owen added and he gave a smile that melted my heart. "That's what friends do, trust each other..." He continued to smile and he put a hand on my shoulder, comforting me. I felt like fainting once I heard his words... Then I slowly smiled at him and I took the cocktail.I drank it, and realized it wasn't alcoholic and that its taste was very candy like.

"It's great!" I said once I finished my drink. "I loved all this food! Thank you guys!"

Owen and Luke grinned and said anything for a friend. "Well, now you're our third musketeer!" Luke shouted happily. Owen chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. I smiled at them and I was pulled in a bone crushing hug from Luke and Owen at my sides. We all laughed together and began to head out.

Outside of the mine, I asked, "So nobody knows where our secret spot is?"

"Well, yes and no," Owen said laughing and I looked at him puzzled. "Both my uncle and Chloe know, but they don't know we've hung out here at night before." Luke and I laughed till we heard Dale's voice say, "Luke? Where are you!"

"Man! My pops has got to _stop _worrying about me!" Luke shouted punching his fist in the other one. "I ain't gonna get lost somewhere! I mean, I'm ninteen already for the Goddess' sake! Ugh, sorry you guys! Gotta go now, see ya!" Luke waved goodbye to us and ran to his home.

"I guess, it's just you and me huh Akari?" Owen asked. I nodded my head and my heart started to beat a thousand times faster than normal. "I'll walk you home, come on," he said leading the way to my home.

We began to talk and I was enjoying this very much. Owen made me laugh, made me smile and he made me fall for him even more. I just didn't know what to do... I really really liked him so much already, and I didn't want to rush things with him. I mean, I just met the guy, aboout a week ago and we were still friends! I needed some advice because I was totally clueless! My heart longed to know how he might feel later on about me...

Soon, after all my thinking and talking with him, we had gotten to my house. "Well Akari, I'll leave you here now, it's really late now. I'm sorry," Owen said and looked up at the dark sky above.

"Don't worry about it," I answered smiling. He returned the smile, and before I could open my house door, he put his arms around me and hugged me. I stood there frozen to the spot, but I recovered and quickly returned the hug.

"Thank you for being our friend Akari," Owen said close to my ear. I gave a small shudder and said I was glad to be their friend. "I'm glad you came here Akari... Don't ever leave," he finished.

"I won't. I promise," I told him. He let go of me, smiled making my heart melt again, and waved goodbye and left to his uncle's shop. I went in my house and plopped down on my bed. I sighed happily and began to daydream of Owen... He was just so...perfect for me... I really liked him so much. I had to try my hardest to win his heart someday.

"I promise to love you my guardian angel," I whispered to myself and I slowly fell asleep and into the land of my dreams, hoping my wish to be with my angel someday, would come true...


	3. Chapter 3: Competition

After the ritual, I felt much more closer not just to Luke and Owen, but others like Anissa, Candance and Rennee too! Thankfully, I was already making a lot of friends and I'd gain more and more of their trust one day. But, I already gained every bit of Luke's and Owen's trust and I was perfect with that! They even came to my house and invited me to go have a few drinks with them tonight. I quickly finished up my last farm chores, took a shower and got ready just in case they came a little early. I didn't wait long though; once I put my clothes and lip gloss away, I heard Luke's loud voice booming right out the path leading to Ganache mine district. I laughed to myself and headed out the door before they knocked on the door.

When I went outside, Luke ran to me and gave me a bone crushing hug. "Uh... Luke...Can't...Breathe!"

"Ha ha sorry Akari," he said scratching the back of his head. "I'm just happy we all get to hang out today!"

I laughed and stopped when Owen smiled at me. "Hi Owen!" I said feeling my face heat up a little.

"Hey Akari!" he replied as he gave me the teddy bear hug I love so much. He let go and I almost gave one of my hysterical giggles I do when I get nervous.

"Well, don't you look nice Akari! Doesn't she Owen?" Luke said and smirked at me.

"Yeah, you really do look pretty Akari!" Owen said looking at me.

I blushed even more. I really wanted to impress Owen or make him notice me a little more than what a friend should notice. Since it was the first day of summer, I decided to wear some jean knee-length shorts, a dark blue tank top, and my black flip flops, plus I put on some of my favorite lip gloss to make my lips stand out a bit more. I didn't think it would be a lot, but all had to hear from Owen was what he had just said about me. I gave Owen my "colgate" smile and thanked both him and Luke for their compliments.

After a few minutes, we arrived at the Sundae inn around seven'o clock. It wasn't that full, but there was a fair amount of people there and everybody looked like they were having fun while chatting, laughing and just taking a few drinks. We walked in and sat a table altogether and while we started talking, a very pretty waitress came to our table.

"Hi guys!" she exclaimed.

"Hey Kathy!" Owen and Luke greeted back. "Oh, have you met Akari?" Luke added clapping a hand on my shoulder.

"No," she said and looked over at me and smiled. "I'm Kathy, I work here at the bar with my dad! Nice to meet you."

"Hello," I said smiling back and introduced myself.

"Well, can I get you guys anything?" she asked us. We each ordered our drinks and food and she walked off to give the order to Chase and her father Haden.

"I think she gets happier everytime she sees you Owen!" Luke said laughing.

"No you're crazy! I hope not," Owen said shaking his head.

"Are you guys together?" I asked as my heart started to shatter.

"_Were_," Owen replied. "We were... I guess you can say, childhood sweethearts. She was my first girlfriend and I her first boyfriend and well, we had a good time together..."

"And then Owen?" I asked him longing to know, but at the same time to save myself from being sad.

"The flame between us started to die little by little. I don't wanna sound mean, but after nine months together, I just didn't feel the same way about her anymore," he added. "And everytime I tried to hint about breaking up, she got more clingy of me each time and it'd get kinda creepy... In the end, I had a talk with her dad, and he understood me and why I had to do it. It did hurt her a lot when the time came and I felt bad, but we're still good friends," he finished.

"But deep inside," Luke piped in. "All of us, even the older adults here on this island, know she still has feelings for Owen."

"Oh," I said with a little worry in my tone.

"Yeah, but sometimes she gets so clingy when we're hanging out," Owen said as he closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. "I understand that we're still friends, but it's been years now."

We all stayed in silence for a bit till Kathy called us, (more like Owen), that our food and drinks were ready. Owen pushed Luke to go, but Luke fired back saying that I should see what they mean about Kathy. I bit my lip, not wanting to see Kathy flirt with the guy I really like obviously, but Owen sighed and agreed unwillingly. I was slightly disappointed since I wanted have a moment alone with Owen.

When Owen left, I thought that Luke, being completely clueless of my feelings towards his best friend, would just point out all the details that happened between Kathy and Owen in a moment. But the conversation was totally unexpected as he gave a sly grin and whispered, "You like Owen, huh Akari?"

I satred at him in shock not believing what he had just said to me. He roared with laughter as he saw my face apparently blushing and I looked to my left. But sadly, I saw Kathy trying to get Owen to flirt back with her, but he kept trying to shake her off. I quickly turned around as Luke laughed even more at me.

"No secrets Akari, remember," Luke said, his golden eyes glistening with humor.

"Umm... Ok fine," I said defeated. "I really like Owen... I have liked him for the longest time! You couldn't even imagine how long!"

Luke gave me a look of confusion and asked why that long, if I had only known him for a few months. I sighed and told him about the story that my mother used to tell me of the guardian angels. His eyes widened in shock, and he nodded his head at the end.

"Oh Goddess!" he said in surprise. "Wow, that long huh?"

"Yeah... I know it sounds kinda weird, but that's what I've always believed," I told him with pride in my voice.

He laughed and answered, "Well, I respect your beliefs and ideas Akari. And, trust me, now that we're best friends, you couldn't hide your feelings whenever I looked! I'm that not that clueless you know!"

It was my turn to laugh now. I burst into my hysterical giggles, which made Luke laugh more. Soon, the two of us were just randomly laughing, and some people like Gill and Julius stared at us as if we were born with three eyes and webbed feet. We were still laughing once Owen came back, and he asked us what was wrong. Luke tried to say something, but ended up coughing like somebody choking on food.

"Uh, ok?" Owen said chuckling once Luke calmed down. "Well, now do you believe me Akari how Kathy acts with me now?"

"Oh yeah Owen," I said nodding. "Well, maybe she'll get the hint later on," I added giving him reassurance.

"I hope," Owen said and he handed us our food and drinks.

"Oh Akari," Luke told me and I looked up. "I'll try to help you with your- uh- _farm work_ anyway I can!"

Luke grinned, and I understood what he meant. I laughed and said, "That'd be really great Luke thanks!"

"Aww Akari I wanna help you too!" Owen said, completely oblivious to our code of communication.

"Yeah, you can help by paying more attention to Akari every now and then," Luke muttered softly.

"What?"

"Nothing!"

"Heh heh heh!" I giggled when my two best friends began to argue about what was going on. Soon, they called each other weird nicknames, threw french fries at each other, and I joined in on the fun. The three musketeers were soon having way too much fun to remember anything or pay attention to anything else and before we knew it, it was time to go home...

We left the bar, still laughing and they walked me home. At my house, Luke was the first to say goodbye first, and then he gave me his grin which meant mischief, and quickly sprinted off back to the carpentry, leaving me and Owen alone.

"Hey Luke! What the hell?" Owen shouted. "Oh that guy... Ha ha!" he laughed and then looked at me. My heart began to race, and was surprised it hadn't popped out of my chest!

"Do you want to sit down Owen?" I asked pointing to a bench near the edge of the hill.

"Of course," he replied laughing.

We sat down and began to talk with each other. We talked about Kathy, Chloe, his grandfather, my farm, my animals, my crops, my family, and pretty much with whatever we felt comfortable with. But time had passed by too quickly and it was already eleven o'clock by the time he checked the time.

"Oh crap! It's kinda late..." Owen said.

"If you have to go Owen it's ok," I said giving him a warm smile.

"Really? Ok thanks Kar!" he said grinning. I held back a blush, and we walked to my front door. "Well, I had _a lot _of fun today! Hope we do it again some other time!" he said.

"Oh we will!" I exclaimed happily.

He beamed at me, and I almost melted away if he hadn't held me with his teddy bear hug. This one lasted a bit longer than normal, but it didn't matter; I felt comfortable right there with him. It just felt like our bodies were _meant _to stay like that forever, molded into one piece altogether... This felt so right... I didn't want to let go of him, but he had to go. Owen smiled at me one last time, and left back to the blacksmith's.

I went inside my house and started to dance around the living room and singing Once Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty... I knew I just turned into a little girl who dreams of her prince charming already, but I didn't care. I wanted to be with my prince-no-with my guardin angel... Although that there is nothing between him and Kathy anymore, I knew she was still competition! In no way, was I going to risk a guy I really, really like for having low slef-esteem! I'll never do that mistake again, because now I know, any girl can have a chance with someone if they just open up, no matter if the competition is beautiful, a top model or some kind of Megan Fox. I didn't care anymore, and nothing was going to stand in my way of trying to get the guy I like so much!


	4. Chapter 4: Caved In

I was starting to earn more and more money thanks to my part time jobs, and shipping some of my farm produce away. Today, however, I decided to go mining. I mean, all those pretty ores and wonderfuls that could be refined into something more valuable can help me a lot. So this morning, I quickly tended my animals and crops before getting ready. I didn't let out my animals since the sky looked pretty cloudy and it looked like it might rain later on in the day. I left my farm and headed out to the mines. I was passing by the blacksmith's when I felt my heart go crazy at the thought of Owen. I smiled to myself but I couldn't go visit him right now; it was still very early and he wouldn't be awake yet. But the loud footsteps and muffled laguhter told me that _someone else _was awake.

"Luke, don't even _think _about trying to scare me!" I said grinning.

"Aww! How'd ya know it was me?" Luke said with disappointment.

I laughed aloud, turned around, and told him he needed to be more quiet to try and sneak up on certain people. He stared at me, till he snorted and SHOUTED, "You'll see one day Akari! I _WILL _SCARE YOU ONE DAY!"

"Sshh!" I said pressing my finger against my lips. "You'll wake the whole district!" I whispered.

"He opened his mouth to protest, but closed it and sighed in defeat. "Okay fine! What are you doing up so early?" He asked.

"I'm a farmer remember? I've always been an early bird..." I replied. "Besides, I'm gonna go off mining!"

"Oh are you?"

"Yep! Ready to save up more money!"

"Okay, well be careful!" He told me.

"I will Luke," I said as I started walking towards the mine entrance.

"And if you get lost or stuck," he called out. "I'll make sure _Owen _goes and gets you!" he added smirking.

I blsuhed and told him to shut up. He laughed, and we both waved goodbye to each other. I stepped down to the first floor and began to hammer at some rocks. A few hours later, I stopped for a break and ate my lunch and then decided to continue more when suddenly, I had a bad feeling something bad was going to happen very soon... _Okay... I'm gonna start to feel more and more uncomfortable soon. It's best if I leave now. _I thought to myself, feeling good with the amount of ores and wonderfuls I've gotten. I began walking up the stairs when I felt the ground rumble underneath me. I grabbed hold onto a rock and began thinking, _I hope this mine isn't a volcano... _My paranoid state got the best of me, and I sprinted off back to the first floor.

Just when I was relieved, outside the mine entrance I saw a terrible storm! The cloudy weather had turned into an unexpected typhoon and now it was turning more dangerous. The lightning looked very close, and it was striking at the top of the mine. I snapped out of my daze, and made a run to quickly go back home but stopped when I saw Owen trying to carry something through the storm. He had his eyes closed and didn't know where he was walking. My heart nearly jumped out my chest when the lightning struck, making the ground shake again, and he fell to the ground, dropping the materials.

He had just gotten up and as he tried to get the things back, I bellowed, "OWEN! LEAVE THOSE THINGS ALONE! GO BACK INSIDE!"

Owen looked around, startled, and saw me in the entrance. "AKARI! GET OUT OF THERE! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS IN THERE!"

I was about to run off again, when a furious wind came in my direction and I couldn't see anything. Trusting my instincts, I dashed away but then I heard Owen's voice call out to me. I couldn't make out what he was saying so I opened my eyes and the ground rumbled again, making me fall down in between the entracne. I looked up in time to see the rocks on top of the mine begin to slide down in front me. I moved back inside as quickly as I could as the heavy looking rocks crashed. I had taken cover in the back of a mine cart, and stayed there till the landslide came to a stop. I stood up and ran to the blocked entranced and tried to move some rocks, but it didn't help at all since it only made more rocks come crashing down.

"Akari?" I heard Owen's voice ask through the rocks.

"Owen help me!" I shouted. "I didn't make it out in time!"

"It's okay Akari! I'm gonna get you outta there!" Owen said.

Desperation washed over me, and I slumped on the ground feeling extremely exhausted. I was about to punch the gorund when I heard a hammer breaking away stones. I quickly stood up and looked through a hole and saw that Owen had started to hammer at the stones and I will never forget the expression on his face... It showed such anger and determination... He was angry at the storm and rocks for trapping me in here, and he was _determined _to get me out of the mine... I stared dumbfounded at him, till I realized I had to help him as well...

I took out my hammer and began to hit the rocks as hard as I could. We were both working together when the ground shook again... This time the shaking lasted longer and, being a clumsy person, it made me loose all of my balance completely... The ground kept on shaking and, in slow motion, I felt myself falling on my side... I barely realized that there was a rock on the ground nearby, and I had no time to hold myself from myfall... I hit the rock with my head, and everthing went black...


	5. Chapter 5: Help Her!

** -Owen's POV-**

"AKARI?" I shouted in desperation. I didn't hear any answer from her after some rocks came sliding down and I was freaking out! A few minutes had passed by, and I didn't even notice that the storm had calmed down a little, and that Gramps and Chloe were outside trying to get my attention.

"Owen! What's wrong? We heard a lot of crashing and we had to come out here to check if you were okay!" Chloe, my little cousin, said.

"Akari was mining when the storm started! She tried to get out but the rocks caved her in and she got stuck in there! I hammered and hammered and the storm made more rocks fall down and I heard her talking but now she won't answer!" I shouted, probably looking like a madman.

"Woa slow down!" Gramps said putting his hand in front of my face. He turned and told Chloe with a calm voice, "Go inside and call Dr. Jin. Tell him that it's an emergency and to get here as quick as he can. When you do that, go to Dale's and get them over here to help us get Akari out. We gotta make sure she's okay..." he finished in a grim voice.

Chole nodded, saluted her grandfather, and ran back to the shop. I looked at Gramps and couldn't believe he was this calm! I had never been so scared in my life, and I didn't want to think about Akari being stuck in that mine...

"Owen, I know you want to protect those close to you," Gramps told me, reading my mind clearly. "But we have to stay calm. She's probably hurt, and thank the Goddess, that we have two expert doctors on this island that can attend to her." I still wasn't very reassured at his words. But I knew he was right somehow, and the only thing I want to do right now is make sure Akari gets out of the mine safely with nothing serious...

Gramps walked over to the pile of material stone, got out his own hammer and looked at the blocked entrance of the mine. Without looking at me, he said, "Don't worry Owen, we'll get out your girlfriend out soon."

"Okay and-" I started to say, but realized what he said. "Gramps!" I whined at him. I heard him chuckle at me, and I felt my face heat up badly. He only started to tease me about Akari after the Ritual and once he found out that she was our third musketeer. And when he was in a good mood, he would remind me that I should be careful whenever I stay up late with Akari... I'd get embarrassed and Gramps would just laugh at me.

As I started to hammer at the rocks with Gramps, I heard Luke, Dale and Bo come up running behind us. "Woa! Is Akari okay?" Luke shouted at me. "I saw her go into the mines and I never saw her come out after the storm hit!"

I gasped in shock and yelled, "And you didn't stop her because?"

"Well, I didn't _know _the weather would get ugly!" Luke shouted back, bewildered that I was going to blame him for not stopping Akari.

"Guys! Akari is waiting for us!" Bo shouted, getting between us.

"Yeah, it's no one's fault Owen," Dale chimed in. "Nobody knew the weather would get like this. It was very unexpected."

"...I'm sorry Luke..." I said sighing heavily.

"It's cool Owen," Luke replied grinning at me. "But don't you think it's best if we start working on getting your girlfriend out now?

"Yeah we... Wait WHAT?"

"Are you guys together?" Dale and Bo asked me, grinning as evilly as Luke was.

"NO! We're just _**FRIENDS!**_" I repeated with frustration in my voice.

Everyone laughed till Gramps reminded us that we were all mature adults and we had a friend in need of our help. I muttered under my breath as we continued hammering at the rocks... But deep inside me, I really wished that she was my girlfriend. I liked Akari a lot, and she's just so different from all of the girls here on this island... Especially Kathy! There was just something about her that made me notice her so much... I tried not to make my feelings for her obvious, especially when we were alone together. I mean, what if she doesn't feel the same way about me? And if I were to make a move one day, would she be creeped out? The decision I made was to wait a while before I try anything with her so we could even more comfortable with each other and hopefully, something between us could happen.

Dr. Jin came just as soon as we had taken down the wall of rocks at the entrance. I rushed inside to get Akari out, but Dr. Jin said sharply, "Don't move her Owen!" I stopped, just barely about to touch her... Jin came and knelt down next to her and examined her quickly. I waited anxiously a few feet away waiting to see what he had to say about Akari's condition. And I still wasn't reassured his check-up on her! She was lying on her side, unconscious to everything, and what was worse, was seeing her head on top of a rock, scaring me even more...

Finally Dr. Jin stopped and told us, "Akari must have fallen and hit her head on that rock. If you can help me move her gently, I can bandage her head so she won't lose so much blood. Right now, as you can see, Akar's just unconscious, and she may not wake up for a few hours, or even a whole twenty-four hours... When she does wake up, ironically though, do anything you can to keep her awake for a whole day to avoid a concussion and contact me as soon as you can. But if she doesn't wake up after the twenty-four hours, contact me immediately..."

I nodded my head and looked at Akari nervously... "I don't want to move her all the way to the clinic. It's to risky for her condition and too far away from here," Jin added interripting my thoughts.

"She can stay with us!" I shouted. "Right Gramps?"

Gramps smirked at me, and nodded at Dr. Jin for the approval. "Thank you Ramsey," he said. "Owen, lift Akari gently and hold her till I finish putting on the bandage on her head."

I quickly made my way towards her and held her close to me... While Jin put the bandage on her, I couldn't help but look at her pretty face... Akari looked so beautiful and peaceful right now, and suddenly, I felt myself bringing her closer to me and...

"Owen stay still," Jin said still wrapping her head.

"Oh right..."

In about a minute, Jin finished and told me to gently carry her inside and put her to lie down on a bed. I nodded, and with the help of Luke's vest and Gramps' apron covering Akari from the shower of rain, I brought Akari inside the shop and laid her on my bed.

"Geez Owen," Luke said standing outside my door. "You're so straight forward with her!"

"Shut up Luke!" I said throwing his vest back at him. I regret telling my best friend how feel about Akari now.

"I'm kidding dude!" he replied, though I didn't believe him one bit. "Just two things before I leave: Call me when she wakes up, and try making a move on her one of these days." Luke wagged his eyebrows at me before he left, and I bit my lip feeling my face heat up.

"Is she okay Owen?" Chloe asked coming into my room.

"Yeah she will be," I replied. I stared at Akari, and took in her pretty features in me... Her hair, her eyes and her lips... There was a small silence between Chloe and I till she said, "I read in a book that when somebody's unconscious or dead, their true love has to come and wake them up with a kiss! You should try it Owen!"

I slowly turned to look at my little cousin. Chloe gave a small laugh at my expression and ran out of my room. I turned my gaze back to Akari and I had the sudden urge to _actually _kiss her! I held myself back, not daring to wonder what Akari would've done if she woke up... Instead, I stroked her forehead and wished she would just wake up... I silently prayed to the Goddess so my dearest friend (other than Luke), would wake up and feel better than ever!

"Oh Akari... Please, wake up soon..."


	6. Chapter 6: You're awake! Stay Awake!

My eyes opened to the sound of rain outside my window. I blinked slowly as I tried to figure out why my room was so dark, and after my eyes were fully opened I tried to lift my head but stopped when a sharp pain shot though my left side. _Ah! Why does it hurt? What_ happened _yesterday? _I thought grabbing my head. I felt something wrapped around my head and realized they were bandages. I thought for bit till I remembered what had happened...

-**flashback-**

_The ground kept on shaking and, in slow motion, I felt myself falling on my side... I barely realized that there was a rock on the ground nearby, and I had no time to hold myself... I hit the rock with my head, and everthing went into darkness_...

-**End**-

My head hit the rock and Owen must've gotten me out! I sighed thanking the Goddess for letting me live and I made a plan to go to Ramsey's and thank Owen for pretty much saving my life! I was just about to kick the covers off like usually do till I felt something beside me... I gasped in surprise and tried to feel what the thing was since it was so dark. My hands felt it being warm, its smooth skin, the strong arms and body, and that familiar scent I love so much... Oh my... It's Owen! I pulled away and my face started to boil like water on fire. _I really did get knocked on the head right? _I thought in panic. _We didn't get drunk and do something...? _As quickly as I could, I looked under the covers to make sure I was in clothes!

"Aww man, I am wearing clothes!" I whispered to no one, then mentally slapping myself for thinking like that! "And how do I get out now? Ah! I'll slide down to the bottom of the bed!"

I began to slither my way down when Owen rolled over and his legs stopped me from getting out. I couldn't think of another way to leave the bed and wake him up unless I _climbed _over him! _Okay, do this fast and he won't even notice! _I gathered all the strength I had, and started to put my leg over him. Once I was going to put my other leg over to get off, I felt him hug my waist (in his sleep) and brought me closer to him so that our cheeks were touching. My heart hammered so loudly I thought it would wake up the whole island!

"Owen," I breathed. "Let go!" I got my arms in a push-up position on his shoulders and began to lift myself up. But once I was halfway there, his eyes shot open and he gasped in shock.

"Akari! You're awake!" he said while his face started to get cherry red.

"Y-yes!" I said not able to stop stuttering.

"W-where are you-?"

"I'm sorry Owen! I wanted to get out by going down to the edge, but you stopped me with your legs! Then I thought this was the only way I had to get up, then when I was about to do that, you hugged me and well... This is why we're like this..." I explained in embarrassment.

Owen gaped at me, then he felt his arms around me and he slowly let go of me, letting me to get off of him. Once I was standing, I looked around and saw I wasn't in my room, but in Owen's! I almost wanted to faint right there because of what just happened and especially when he got up and all he was in was in a white muscle shirt and in his boxers. He caught me by surprise though, when he got me and gave me the teddy bear hug I always melt with...

"Akari... I'm just so glad you're awake! I couldn't sleep last night because all I could think of was hoping you'd wake up..." Owen said gently.

"W-well I'm awake now Owen," I replied and returned the hug.

Owen and I stood there hugging for another moment, then we let of each other, feeling my heart go crazy. Then, he snapped his finger remembering something and he dashed out of his room. I stayed there, not knowing if I should follow or stay here to avoid anymore embarrassment either with him or his family... But before I could decide, he came back and said, "I called Dr. Jin 'cause he told me to when you woke up."

I nodded then gave a small bow. "Thank you Owen... Without you, I don't think I could've lived or escaped the mine..."

Owen chuckled and hugged me again. "Anything for the bestest friend I'll ever have. Don't tell Luke though!" I laughed, and he led me downstairs to the eat breakfast with Ramsey and Chloe.

Dr. Jin and Irene came as I talking to Chloe about what I was doing at the mine. He took me to the kitchen and began to examine and ask me a lot of questions about my health, how I felt physically, what I remembered, who were my friends were and more of those doctor questions. After they were done, Dr. Jin and Ramsey discussed how long I could stay here and I was surprised by his answers...

_"If you feel Akari is still too fragile to move, Dr. Jin, she is more than welcome to stay as long as she could here with us. After all, she is like family to us..."_

I couldn't believe the strict looking uncle Owen has, felt this way about me! My affection towards him grew, and it felt like he was the grandfather I never met and had... Owen and Chloed seemed to have read my mind, and they came over for a group hug, making me giggle in hapiness.21

"Oh Akari," Owen said.

"Yeah?"

"We're gonna have to keep you awake for, oh just a few 24 hours or so," he said laughing.

"What! Why?" I asked bewildered.

"To make sure you don't have a concussion, or fall into a coma," he added in a fake-grim voice.

I laughed then asked, "Well, can you plan out something while I take a shower?"

"Yeah!" he said grinning at me before he ran upstairs to his room.

I returned the grin, but when he left, I realized I needed clothes... "How do I get clothes?" I asked myself. As if by magic, clothes were thrusted in my hands by Chloe.

"These were Owen's when he was smaller," she explained smiling at me. "I hope they fit you!"

"Great! Thamks Chloe!" I replied beaming at her before she left.

Once I got out of the shower, Owen called out to me from his room, and I went up looking for him and he gave me a great surprise of what his plan was for me to stay up.

"Taada!" Owen cried out showing me his Nintendo Wii with a lot of games like the Legend of Zelda games both on Wii and Gamecube, Just Dance (1, 2 & Michael Jackson), Guitar Hero, Luigi's Mansion and most of the Mario Party games!

"Owen!" I said in shock laughing. "You expect us to play videogames for..." I checked the clock. "For about 21 hours!

"Yes I do! Trust me Akari, we'll have _fun_!

"Alright, we will Owen!" I said about to sit down.

"Those are my kid clothes..." he pointed out looking at the loose fitting shirt and shorts I had on, and also making me blush. "You look good in them!" he added smiling so adorable and scratching the back of his head in a shy way.

I thanked him, and we got started on our plan to play Wii for 21 hours straight!

-**21 hours later-**

Owen and I yawned tired of the entire videogames he had us play. "I will never, play these games ever again!" I said sleepily once we finished The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker for the fifth time in a row.

"I'm sick of them..." Owen added groggily, his eyes half opened.

We looked at the clock and we both yelled out, "Finally!"

"Thanks for staying up with me Owen," I told him trying to wake up.

"No problem," he replied almost sleeping while he was standing up. "I'm gonna sleep on the floor... I'll let you stay on my bed..."

"Thank you Owen," I yawned, too tired to protest.

"GoodnigtAkaripleasantdreamsI'llthinkofyouIlikeyoualot."

"Huh?" I asked my eyes closed not understanding _anything_... But I did feel him kiss my forehead before he threw himself on his sleeping bag and began snoring away.

I giggled and layed down on his bed, inhaling his after-rain scent and actually having very good dreams about Owen and I, and how my guardian angel was able to feel the same way I do for him.


	7. Chapter 7: A confession

**-Akari's POV-**

A few more days passed by and it was still raining! I nearly had a heart attack when I thought about my animals alone and hungry, but Owen reassured me that he called Anissa and Renee when I had hit my head, and had asked them to take care of my farm and animals for me. I was so thankful for that and relieved to know my animals and crops would be safe in my most trusted friends' hands.

The only bad thing that came up was that Dr. Jin suggested I go back to my farm and see how I can handle things on my own. I really didn't want to leave Owen, Ramsey or Chloe! I had gotten so close to them and wanted to stay longer. But I knew I had other things to do at my farm.

"We're going to miss you alot Akari," Chloe told me as she hugged me.

"Yes, you're welcome here anytime you want to Akari," Ramsey told me smiling in his stern way.

"I'll miss you guys too!" I said. "I'll come as soon as this storm and my head get better!"

I hugged them both before I left and Owen smiled at me and asked, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Owen had demanded (literally), that he should be the one to walk me home and well, of course if he had _insisted_, I didn't mind walking home under the rain with the guy I really like.

We left and started talking and talking about all our experiences during my stay. We laughed as we remembered all the prank calls we made at Luke and how funny he sounded, how Chloe and I scared Owen in the middle of the night with the Scream mask on top of a chair, and especially when Luke scared Owen and I when we watched the movie Unrest and made me jump into his lap! But we didn't say more as we got to my home since he had to leave right away to store materials away from the rain.

"Well... I'll leave you here now Akari," Owen said as he smiled sweetly.

I went up to him and gave him a hug. "Thanks for everything Owen!"

"No problem!" he replied. "Oh by the way..." He took out a Red Wonderful out of his rucksack and gave it to me. "I wanted to give this to you, but I didn't know if I should've gotten it as an accessor... So I'll leave that up to you!"

My face started heating up, but I was able to smile. "Thanks Owen! I'll see what I can do with it!"

He smiled at me and before I knew it, he gave me a quick kiss on my cheek. I blinked in surprise, as he scratched the back of his head and kicked the ground. "Well see ya Akari!" And he ran off back to the shop leaving me bewildered.

Still in surprise, I went inside and found Anissa and Renee smiling at me. "Well, I see some hearts around your head," Anissa said.

I ran up to them and hugged my best friends. After much "I missed you's", we sat down at my table and we began to catch up. They both had stayed here since my accident and had taken care of my farm and animals.

"Wow, thanks alot guys!" I said. "I don't know what I could've done without your help!"

"No problem Akari," Renee said. "You know we want to help you, how much I love animals and how much Anissa loves taking care of plants," she finshed as Anissa nodded in agreement.

"Well, now that we're through discussing farm business," Anissa added. "How was your stay at Owen's house?"

I blushed and looked down at my hands. "It was great," I mumbled.

"Just great?" Renee asked mischievously.

"Oh come on Akari," Anissa sighed laughing. "You say you like Owen, but then you deny it constantly."

I kept my face down, then looked up. "I loved it! I loved spending time with him..." And I started pouring my heart out about my stay, how I felt and especially the first time I woke up there and what had happened during that time. They're faces were so funny, that at the end I had to burst out in giggles.

"Oh my..." Anissa said.

"Wow, that sounds...nice..." Renee said laughing.

I giggled some more and then backfired at them, "And how is dear Toby, Renne?"

It was her turn to blush and blink in surprise. Anissa laughed, then I asked her, "So is this your bachelorette party Anissa?" She gasped and she also blushed wildly. "I mean, you are getting married in a few days to the town doctor!"

I laughed, then with blushes still on their faces, both of my best friends began to join me and we started talking about the guys we liked so much. Then, I looked out the window and thought of Owen and my mind drifted off somewhere leaving a smile on my face...

**-Owen's POV-**

"WOW OWEN!" Luke yelled out as soon as I finished telling him what happened when Akari first woke up. "What did she do! What did _you _do? What the hell were you thinking! DId you guys do something after that!"

"Luke! No we didn't, Akari explained why she was like that on top of me, I stood up so things wouldn't be awkward, and you know what I do when I sleep! When I feel the pillow, or something soft and warm, I hug it because it's been my bad habit since I was a little kid!" I explained. But I knew he was going to be bugging me about it for a long time!

"Well, at least you tried making a move on her!" Luke said laughing.

"Shut up Luke," I replied, also laughing.

"I'm going to miss her though..." I said sadly. "I really, really loved spending time with Akari. I had so much fun with her, and I just didn't want it to end..."

"Hello!" Luke said, waving his hand in front of my face. "I'm right here first of all! Don't forget about me! Second of all, she lives a few ten minutes from here, and you can see her whenever you want!"

I laughed some more and said, "I know that Luke. I just mean you know... I want to see her everyday!"

"Well, you should try this thing called confessing your love for her," Luke told me.

"I'm working on it..." I said looking away.

"When will this happen?" Luke asked punching my arm.

"Probably at Anissa's wedding day."

Luke grinned devilishly. "Perfect! Romance everywhere, flowers and all that lovey dovey stuff! Oh and..." he added. "Hopefully you get to meet this girl I met at the Sundae Inn the other day!"

"What's her name?" I asked frusturated, hoping inside that it wasn't Kathy..

"You'll see," Luke finished, and I knew he wouldn't tell me something till Luke felt sure that he wanted to go after this girl.

"Well, we'll see how things work out for us," I said standing up and clasping a hand on his shoulder.

Luke yawned, "Yeah, well see ya Owen!" He left from the kitchen and ran to the carpentry to get some sleep.

I sighed and went up to my room. I knew I had to tell Akari how I felt one day, but I just wanted to plan things out carefully... Ever since the day we met, I thought she was so pretty, and all those times after hanging out at the bar at night were really nice and I felt like she understood me and I knew I understood her well... For now, all I had to do was pray, and plan things out to one day ask Akari out and be with her one day...


	8. Chapter 8: A Day At the Beach

A few more days of resting from farm work and stress passed by, and my head started feeling much better! Even Dr. Jin told me I could now go swimming once he removed the stitches on my head. I couldn't think another way door and suddenly, my face grew hot as I looked at Owen. He was grinning at me, and he wore a white muscle shirt, with swimming shorts on.

"Hey Akari! Glad to see those things off your head now!" He said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I'm really glad!" I replied smiling back, and I thought I could detect a faint, pink blush on his cheeks.

"I came here to ask you if you wanted to go to the beach with us," he added.

"Oh really!" I said happily. "I'd love to go!"

"Great! I'll wait outside for you if you want."

_Oh, Owen. You're so sweet. _I thought to myself. "Yeah, let me get my stuff ready!"

I quickly grabbed a bag, put in the essentials for a beach day, and dashed to the restroom to change into my bathing suit, and tank top and shorts.

"I'm ready!" I called out as I closed the door.

"You done with your farming?" Owen asked looking at my cow, Chihiro, and my chickens, Banana and Kiki grazing on the pasture.

"You bet! I finished early." I said proud of myself.

He smiled sweetly at me and we began to talk all along the way to the beach. It was so much fun spending time with Owen. He always made me laugh and smile. We made our way to the beach past the On the Hook store and saw the blankets spread on the white sand, and a lot of splashing probably from Luke's crazy movements.

"Race ya to the water!" Owen yelled getting a head start.

"Hey no fair!" I yelled back running behind him.

I quickly threw my stuff next to his and I began to change out of my tank top and shorts. He threw his shirt in my face and raced to the waters. I dashed behind him and tried to tackle him and I succeeded in throwing him in the water with me on top of him.

We both started blushing but laughing at the same time as we noticed I had actually tackled him. We both got up and once I was standing, he splashed me with a big wave of water.

"Owen!" I shouted laughing. "You're gonna get it!" I ran after him and we both started a splash fight.

"HEY, I WANT IN ON THIS TOO!" Luke bellowed storming his way up to us. Everybody began to watch us and join in on the fighting. After a bit, I realized I had no sun block on, so I quietly made my way to the shore where Anissa was sitting, smiling at our behavior.

"You tired?" she asked smiling.

"No, I just need sun block before I turn into a lobster," I replied drying my face with my towel.

I began to put on the sun block, when I saw Owen… I was too busy chasing him to notice that he was shirtless…. I felt my face heat up, and I don't think it was the sun's fault! He had such a nice and built body and well…

"Akari?" Anissa asked, and I could hear a hint of laughter in there. "What _are _you looking at?"

"Oh, nothing," I said quickly.

Anissa smiled. "I know that you were looking at a certain red-haired guy."

"Oh yeah… Well… I don't care! He's good looking!" I said in my flirty voice, which made Anissa look at me curiously. She laughed and shook her head in disbelief.

"Where is Dr. Love?" I asked mischievously, and I was glad to see her blushing now.

"On his way to the beach…" she mumbled.

"About to be Mrs. Dr. Jin?" I asked again and she looked away smiling.

I turned back to go into the water and noticed Kathy in the water trying to splash Owen. My heart sank, and I felt my good mood going down the drain.

"Akari, go have fun!" Anissa said reading my mind.

I shook my head and looked around. I suddenly felt lonely when I saw every couple in town… Luna persuading Gill to get in the water, Candice and Julius sitting on some blankets together, Toby and Renee fishing, Chase showing Maya the food he was going to be cooking for us, Phoebe and Calvin digging around in the sand, Dr. Jin on his way to join Anissa, and Owen and Kathy….

I was just thinking about walking along the shore, when I heard Owen's voice call out to me: "Akari! Don't run away! Come here!"

I smiled, glanced at Anissa, and ran to the water to join my friends.

"Where's Luke?" I asked looking around.

"He left to get this mysterious girl he's been talking about," Owen shrugged. He grabbed my hand and added, "Let's go swimming!"

He led me deeper into the water, and I noticed Kathy staring at us. I tried to avoid her look, and just focus on having fun with Owen. After an hour of fun, we got out for a nice cook out, and we met Luke's girl…

"Hey guys this is Selena!" He said enthusiastically. She was very beautiful, with red hair in a nice bun; she wore a pair of sandals, with a nice belly dancer outfit that showed her stomach.

"Hello," she said as if she thought she was the queen of the world.

"Nice to meet you Selena," I said smiling at her. Selena smiled back and excused herself to get food.

"Isn't she great!" Luke said dreamily.

"I guess?" Owen said raising his eyebrow.

Luke left, and we began laughing at his puppy dog behavior. Owen and I got our food and sat down in a circle with everybody together. And after more food, laughter, and splashing, it started getting dark and we all sat together in a circle, and made a bonfire. Everybody told, (or in some certain people's cases, tried) telling a joke or a good story that made us all closer to each other.

Closer really _was _the proper word for this moment. I noticed Luke trying, literally, to make a move on Selena, (as she played around with the poor guy), Julius began stroking Candice's hands with his, Luna cuddling up with Gill and he actually gave a quick smile, Chase feeding Maya from his plate, Calvin placed his coat and arm around Phoebe, Dr. Jin and Anissa hugging each other, and Renee and Toby holding hands! It was all very romantic, but I just felt like a shoe with no other pair. I looked at the time, and thank the Goddess it was 11:30 p.m., so I stood up to leave when I felt Owen's hand on my shoulder.

"Want me to walk you home?" he asked sweetly.

"Oh, yeah sure!" I replied blushing.

I said goodbye to everyone, although Kathy didn't like the idea of Owen leaving. We began to walk back the way we came, but somehow in a comfortable silence. I looked up and smiled, as the moonlight hit us directly, and suddenly I felt him grab my hand. I quickly looked at him, and he smiled at me. I giggled, and looked away as my face heated up.

I didn't want the moment to end, but we got to my house. He actually hesitated letting my hand go, but we slowly did and looked at each other. Owen's grey eyes twinkled, and it made my heart beat faster than it was.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Akari," he said as his eyes twinkled even more.

"Okay Owen," I said smiling back.

He hugged me, and he waved as he left my house. I waved back and once he was out of sight, I went in my house. I sighed happily and now, I couldn't wait till the next time we hung out for another perfect moment!


	9. Chapter 9: Anissa's Wedding

A few days later on Summer the 10th, came Anissa's wedding day. I helped her with pretty much anything she wanted to pick, and gave her advice on some stuff. That day my best friend got cold feet before she walked the aisle.

"Anissa, you're going to be a great wife for Jin!" I told her trying to calm her down. Both of you really love each other, and are going to last many happy years together!"

"You're right!" Anissa said suddenly, proud. "I love Jin very much, and I will be a good wife for him!"

I laughed, and began to make my way up the aisle. Renee had already gone in, so I followed after consoling Anissa for a few moments. I looked around the church, admiring the stained glass windows of the Goddess, smiled at everybody from town and waited for the bride to walk up beside her groom.

During their vows, I felt someone's eyes looking at me and that someone was Owen! I grinned at him, as I blushed and was happy to see he was turning a light shade of pink. I looked back in time for the I do's and clapped as Anissa and Jin shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

All of the guests made their way to Town Hall for the reception there, but we waited for the pictures Simon was going to be taking of the newlyweds and the maids of honor. After the photo shoot, we were finally at Town Hall. I'm pretty sure everyone was having a great time with much laughter and chattering amongst each other.

Finally, the dance came! First we watched Anissa and Craig waltz together as father and daughter. Next, the newlywed couple waltzed "A whole New World" by Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, and then everybody began to join. Anissa and all of her friends were with her dancing in a big circle having the best time of our lives! I only got annoyed when Selena tried to show off her fancy moves and trying to be the center of attention. Thankfully, Luke got her and danced with her, or goggled at her more like, and that was all she needed.

I laughed to myself, sat down then I heard a serene voice next to me. "Hey Akari," Toby said.

I smiled at him and said, "Hey Toby! Having fun?"

He nodded smiling. "Yes, I am. Though I could do with a small nap underneath Ben's Tree right now."

I giggled at his behavior then noticed everything slowing down. Slow songs came on, and couples joined Anissa and Jin on the dance floor.

"Are you going to dance?" Toby asked.

"Maybe," I said thinking of a certain red haired guy.

Toby continued to look at me, then said, "You know, Owen likes spending time with you."

I looked at Toby in confusion. How had he known? I looked over at the dance floor and saw Kathy grab Owen and start dancing to "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias. I did spend time with him all night, and it was so much fun, but I just chickened out of asking him to dance with just me. I looked away and saw Toby smiling in a sympathetic way.

"I notice a lot of things," he explained. "I know you want something really bad right now. And all you have to do to get that is by stepping up to get what you want. When I wanted to find a Rock Lobster, I mined for many weeks till I found the right amount of gold. When I wanted to ask out Renee, I set up days for us to spend time together till she felt the same way I do about her. In the end, there were some sacrifices and bad times I had to go through, but they were really worth it in the end. I just suggest you tell him how you feel, before it's too late. And if that happens, then clear things up with a certain someone before things get ugly between you two."

_Toby has a way with words!_ I thought to myself. I was going to sacrifice some of my part-time jobs to work with him, my stupid shyness to ask him to hang out, and time from my farm work to be with him. The first step was now or never; losing my Guardian Angel or winning his heart.

I smiled sweetly at Toby. "Thanks for the advice! I know it's now or never… Oh, speaking of that, same goes to you with that Blue Feather I saw the other day in your possession." I said winking at him. Toby blushed, smiled and waved goodbye at me as he went to sit with Renee.

I was too busy thinking to notice "Hero" had finished, and that my guardian angel was making his way towards me.

"Hey Akari," Owen said happily. "Why aren't you dancing?"

I shrugged. "Everyone's taken."

He grinned at me, and replied, "Well, I'm not!"

I giggled and raised my eyebrows at him teasingly.

"Aw come on, Owen!" Luke's voice said from behind. "Just say it the right way!" Luke gave a roar of laughter, and Selena wrinkled her nose a little before she sighed with a hint of laughter in it somewhere deep inside. They walked away, his arm around her shoulder and hers around his waist.

"I don't know if she's right for Luke…" I said.

"I kind of agree," Owen added. "As long as Luke's happy, and she doesn't break his heart, it's all good."

"Well, I'm keeping an eye on her. Anyways, were you going to ask me something?" I said smiling mischievously at him.

He grinned, scratched the back of his head and kicked a rock, and said in a fake British accent, "Will the lovely Akari care to dance with me?"

I smirked, and nodded my head eagerly at him. Owen laughed, took my hand in his arm, and took me on the dance floor. Then the song, "So Close" by Jon Mc Laughlin came on.

"I love this song," I whispered.

"It is a pretty song," Owen agreed, as I wondered how he heard me.

We began to waltz slowly. Then we got more into the dancing and Owen began to twirl me, lift me in the air and even put his face in my neck, giving me goose bumps. The mood was just too perfect; the moon was full, stars twinkled all around us, and we were in the center of the entire dance floor. I felt his arm wrap tighter around my waist, and he brought his other arm around me. We both laughed, smiled, not knowing we made our way far from everybody.

**Owen's POV:**

I was just extremely nervous now. I had finally asked Akari to dance with me, alone and now we were the ones in the center of everybody. I knew Gramps and Luke were going to have a lot of fun teasing me about this moment… I even put on my stupid British accent to impress her even more. Soon, like the song said, I had her in my arms and the entire world was really gone. I only saw Akari and heard the song leading us away from the whole crowd…

Before I knew it, were dancing by Ben's Tree. I had spun her, carried her and held her as close as I could to show her I am a good dancer and maybe something more. I didn't even notice I had tried to nuzzle her neck! Goddess, my mind has a mind of its own! I knew Akari was pretty, but I just noticed her true beauty until right now… Her smile was very radiant, and she was just glowing. It was driving me insane! Now! Look how far we've come! I had to do something _now!_

I stopped, dancing and Akari looked at me curiously. "Akari…" I started, not able to find the right words to tell her.

**Akari's POV**

I was enjoying the way Owen acted like Prince Charming, till he stopped. I looked at him, and he said, "Akari…"

My heart began to beat faster and faster as he stroked my cheek. "Owen?" I asked breathlessly. Was this going where I think is going? Is it going to happen? Oh Goddess, what do I do! Then, his lips started to come closer and closer to mine! Then…

"HEY GUYS?" a voice called out.

Owen stopped, and we didn't move from that spot. "I told you they were here!" Luke's voice told someone in annoyance.

"Well, I just wanted to say 'bye to my friends!" A girl voice said, and I recognized as Kathy's.

To Do List: 1. Kill Luke, 2. Go crazy on Kathy, 3. Tackle Owen, 4. Scream! I was ready to strike, when I heard Kathy walking away. We heard Luke come over, so we broke apart from our almost-kiss and looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"I'm sorry! She made me! Literally! Dragged me by the ear when I was kissing Selena!" Luke said hysterically.

"It's okay Luke," I said.

"Yeah, it was just an accident," Owen added, though with gritted teeth.

I looked down on the ground, embarrassed if he was even looking at me. I looked up and saw his of a serial killer looking at his victim, which in this case was Luke. I was about to walk away, when I felt Owen's hand hold mine back.

"Akari, I know the moment was ruined," he said almost scowling at the side. "But I was just wondering, would you like to go on a date with me?"

My heart jumped with joy, even though my mind was frustrated we didn't get to kiss. I smiled at Owen and said, "I would love that very much Owen!"

He grinned at me and pulled me in a back breaking hug. "Alright! I promise that the moment will come back! No interruptions, no distractions, just the two of us alone!"

Owen let go of me, and I was shocked of his words of "the moment". But hey, I wasn't complaining! I smiled at him, and we set the day for two days from now, and now I couldn't wait! The clock then chimed 12:00 a.m. and now there was only one day left! I was as determined as Naruto to have a great time the two of us alone, and maybe have that moment come back to us! Believe it!


	10. Chapter 10: First Date Disaster

After Anissa's wedding, sadly, Owen and I had to wait for our date. He and Ramsey headed to the city to get more supplies for the shop, and according to Owen, Ramsey was very picky when it came to shop supplies. Well, said goodbye to my good friend and began to wait with Chloe since he asked me to take care of her for the days they were gone.

I had a lot of fun with Chloe! It was like having a little sister of my own and we could both trust each other. She helped me with my animals, crops and with the farm work! I told her it she didn't had to do it, but being the spunky ten year old, Chloe was up at 6:00 a.m. with me! She even helped me set up my date with her cousin on his birthday on the 18th of summer! I really enjoyed her stay, so when the last day came, I told her she was welcome at my house anytime.

We were at the dock waiting for Pascal to come back, and I was starting to get really anxious! Finally, the ship was in view and Owen and Ramsey were finally back on the island!

"I missed you!" Owen said as he hugged me.

"I missed you too Owen!" I replied, giggling. "Oh, and one more thing…"

He broke apart, and looked at me curiously. I smiled, took out a plate of Rice Balls out of my rucksack and yelled, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Owen gasped in surprise and laughed. "You remembered! Oh my favorite food!" he said looking at the plate as if he hadn't eaten for the days he was gone.

"Well, I'll leave you to get ready for tonight!" I yelled, running back home.

Owen stayed there looking at me, wondering what the heck I was talking about, till his light bulb turned on.

"Oh yeah! I'll see you tonight!" he yelled back as he walked with Ramsey and Chloe.

"You've been hanging out too much with Luke!" I said to myself.

I was home soon enough, and got really impatient for 7:00 to finally get here! Thankfully, after much farm work, and part-time jobs, 6:30 came along and I began to get ready once my cow Chihiro, chickens Banana and Kiki, my sheep Sai, and Baaa were safely in the barn, I ran to get ready. I decided to put on some cute, black jean shorts, a red v-neck blouse, and my sandals. I wore my favorite perfume and my favorite Pirates of the Caribbean necklace and bracelet as well. I was finishing up when there was a knock on my door. I opened the door and smiled when I saw Owen.

He gave me his famous grin and said, "Ready to go?"

I nodded happily and we began to walk. "You look so pretty Akari!"

"Thank you Owen!" I replied smiling.

I loved the way Owen was so shy! He looked so adorable! I felt confident about our "moment" when we walked along the beach, when a familiar person with blond hair bounced up in front of us.

"Hey Owen! Happy Birthday!" Kathy said as she flung herself in Owen's arms. I looked at her, in disbelief, and blinked a couple of times just to make sure Kathy really was, or wasn't there! He looked annoyed, and when he tried to say something, she said excitedly, "Hey I got a surprise for you at the bar! Everyone's there, waiting for you! Come on!"

Kathy took Owen by the hand and dragged him away, ignoring me completely. He looked back in apology as they both entered the bar. I had _nothing_ against Kathy whatsoever, but now she really was starting to tick me off. I understand she has feelings for Owen, but she needs to back off a little…That's twice already she's interrupted us, and she wanted to stop me! Fuming with anger, I ran to the bar. The usual customers from town were there, so I went to go sit down with Luke.

"Hey! How's you date going so far?" he asked grinning and poking my arm.

I sighed in frustration and scratched the table. Luke wondered, and asked, "What's wrong? Spill."

"Well, what's with this party for Owen? I thought it was just him and me tonight!" I said. "Kathy came and took Owen away and I have no idea where they are!"

"Huh?" Luke said. "There's no party, I promise you!"

My eyes widened, and asked, "So where are they?"

He shrugged, "I don't know? I think we should look for them!"

I nodded, and went to Haden and asked if he saw his daughter with Owen.

"They're upstairs. She told me Owen was coming here tonight for something."

I quickly explained about my situation and he shook his head. "Oh Kathy… You can't let go of your feelings… I honestly did not know about your situation. I just saw her running upstairs with him!"

I looked at him horrified, but thanked him. I was about to make my way up, when Selena stopped me.

"Hi!" I said quickly. "Uh, Selena, I don't have time to chat or see your moves, so if you'll-"

"I know what you're doing," she said coldly. I shrunk back a little, looked at her and wondered what in the world she was telling me. "Leave Kathy and Owen alone! Don't try stealing him from her! That's not right. So I suggest, you get your farmer butt out of here, and leave Owen alone."

I stood up to her, outraged at what she was telling me. "Hey! Look, I don't believe any word of what you are saying! That's not true! Owen doesn't like her, and they're not even going out together!"

Selena sneered at me, and said, "Oh you don't think so? Then how come Kathy told me, Owen asked her out when he came back from the city this morning? He asked her to forgive him for not realizing his true feelings for her after all this time. And she even saw a _Blue Feather _in his rucksack… So I think they might get hitched soon!"

My eyes started swimming in tears. I had no idea if this was true or not! I had to find Owen and make him tell me this was not true! Why was this happening?

"Then how come Kathy's dad didn't know anything? And why was Owen with me on a date?" I demanded.

She smirked and replied, "Owen was going to tell you the news tonight… But Kathy wanted some alone time with him, before it happened. And Haden, nor does anyone else know but me. So pack up your bags and move on!"

"But," she added evilly. "If you don't believe me, why don't you check her bedroom?"

I glared at Selena. She had to be lying! She just had to be! I glanced at the stairs, hesitated, and went upstairs. I began to wonder what was going on, and which room was Kathy's when I heard voices talking and loud thud on the floor. I ran to the end of the hallway, and looked at the door where the noises were coming from. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

My eyes widened, at the sight… Owen was on top of Kathy on the floor, very close to each other! I stood there, held in place by the scene…

"Hello Akari!" Kathy said taunting me. "I think Selena told you? So I think you don't have to worry anymore!"

I forced myself to nod, and held back the tears that were coming. Owen "looked" confused, bewildered and shocked and he said, "Akari! I don't what's going on, I swear! Please let me explain! Kathy get off of me now!"

His plea for his side of the story, made me wonder, till Kathy pecked Owen on the lips as he struggled and cooed, "You don't have to sweetie. Selena already did that!"

I looked away, unable to say anything to my former best friend and guardian angel. I sprinted from the scene to the safety of my home.

"Akari! Where are you-?" Luke called out as I ran out of the bar. I didn't stop to talk, all I wanted was to go home and forget everything I just saw and heard.

Once I got home, I locked the door, slid down the door and began to cry. Why had he done this to me? How could he? After all we've been through! He changed his mind! I continued crying my eyes out, hugging my knees tightly. I never wanted to see Owen again! _If it's what he wants, then I hope he's happy… _I thought. I loved Owen so much! All I want is for my guardian angel to be happy with whom he deserves to be with… I kept on crying till I fell asleep, promising myself, I had to get through with this no matter what!


	11. Chapter 11: Apologies

**Owen's POV:**

"Where are you taking me?" I asked Kathy as she dragged me away from Akari.

She giggled. "You'll see…"

I gulped and started feeling anxious. Why was she being like this? I had to tell her something! I hated being nice to her sometimes… We got to the Sundae Inn, and I saw Hayden look at us curiously. I gave him my "help me" look, hoping he'd hold his daughter back. But Kathy took me upstairs and led me to her room. Okay, now this is getting way off hand!

"Kathy, what in the freakin world are you-?" I said, but stopped when she slammed me against the wall, off guard. She gave a sweet smile, and kissed me! I kept trying to move, but she stepped on my foot with her boot heel, which hurt like hell! I was able to push her off when I stepped on something that made me fall back with her on top of me.

"What's going on!" I demanded, angrily. And it was no help that she kept on smiling like she won the biggest race ever.

"I really miss you…" she told me. "I miss having you around with me…"

"You and I are just friends!" I told her outraged. "I've told you before; I just don't feel the same. It was nice with you, but we both had to move on! I felt that there was something more out there, and we can find it in our separate ways!"

She smirked. "Well, I know, but I just couldn't control myself."

More angrier than ever, I was about to throw her off, when the door suddenly flew open. My mouth fell open in horror as Akari stood there, more horrified than I have ever seen her.

"Hello Akari," Kathy said, taunting her. "I think Selena told you already? So I think you don't have to worry anymore!"

Told her what? What was going? I really was just as surprised as Akari! I had no idea what to say to her and it was bad! Akari nodded, and I quickly said, "Akari! I don't know what's going on, I swear! Please let me explain! Kathy, get off me now!"

Unfortunately, Kathy pecked me on the lips and said, "You don't have to sweetie. Selena already did that!"

This was too much for Akari, and she turned around, and before I could stop her, she ran away… This was the last straw for me! I have had enough of it. Anger boiled up inside me, and I face Kathy.

"KATHY! Get off me now!" I said in a really strict way that came to my voice. She blinked a couple of times and got up. Once I got up, I folded my arms across my chest and looked at her like a father would to a child who got in trouble.

"Why did you do this?" I asked.

Kathy looked away, and said, "Because I love you! I miss you Owen!" She then started fighting back sobbing.

I sighed, frustrated, and then said, "You got to move on. There are better things out there than me. You started to 'like' me again after your mom passed away two years ago. I was just there for you to help you get through this! Look, I really, really like Akari a lot! I'm gonna fix things with her, whether you like it or not. If you can't respect my choices, then it's best if we don't stay friends if you keep it up like this."

Her eyes started getting watery, and tears started to come out. I went up to her and put my hand on her shoulder. Kathy looked at me, her green eyes with tears, and yelled out, "I'm sorry Owen! I shouldn't have done that… It was really wrong… And Selena was just up for gossip when she saw me down after Anissa's wedding… She didn't know the truth, really! I just used her to get my selfish ways… I'm sorry Owen! If there's anything I could do to make it up to you…?"

I looked at her, and then gave her small smile. "I'd really appreciate it if you'd explain to Akari and Selena this. And please, move on. I know you could do this," I said. Kathy nodded, and she went back to crying a bit. I moved my hand from her shoulder, moved to the door and made my way out.

"How'd things go?" Selena asked once I was downstairs. "Don't worry, I told that farmer everything!" She smiled at me.

"I think you should go up with Kathy," I said in the same tone as Kathy. "She's got some explaining to tell you."

Selena looked at me suspiciously, and went upstairs. Once Luke saw me, he demanded to know what happened. When I finished telling him, his eyes were probably too big for his face.

"How could she do that?" Luke asked angrily. "And I'm gonna have a talk with Selena!"

I nodded in agreement and there was silence. "Are you going to tell Akari?"

I shook my head. "Let her cool off… It was too much for her to take in… I'm leaving now…" I replied extremely depressed. Luke nodded, and let me be on my way. Once I got home, I threw myself on the bed and began to wonder if Akari would _ever_ listen to me, and how I should tell her…

**Akari's POV**

Many days passed and Owen and I hadn't talked… Yes, he kept trying to call me, or come to my house but I refused to talk to him. No matter how much the little voice in my head told me to try and listen to him, I was just too stubborn to listen. I only talked to Luke, Anissa and Renee, but even they couldn't even knock some sense into me! For those many days, I was in a depressed mood and felt like running to the ocean and just let myself float there!

But one day, on a Saturday, there was a knock on my door. I looked out the window to make sure it wasn't, (or hoped it was), Owen. To my surprise, it was Kathy and Selena! I suddenly got extremely mad and flung the door open and stood there glaring at the two girls.

"Well? What do you want?" I asked angrily.

Selena looked like she was going to fight back, but held herself back and she looked down at the ground in sad way. I tried not to act surprised and look mean, till Kathy spoke up.

"Akari, we're sorry! And don't blame Selena… Blame me! None of the things that Selena told you were true. I lied to her, to lie to you and try to win…"

"I don't recall there was a competition," I said.

"I know…" she said. And her eyes began to water fast. I blinked and let myself loose for a bit. "It's no excuse, but when my mother died, I was really depressed and Owen was there for me! I mistook it, and I began to have those feelings for him again! I was being weak, and I couldn't help it… We never got on the wrong foot, but I started going there when I saw you and Owen together. I shouldn't have done that, and I hope you can one day forgive me Akari."

I blinked in surprise. Did she really say that? Was I dreaming? Just then, Selena interrupted my thoughts. "Akari, I shouldn't have said those mean things to you without actually seeing proof… I shouldn't have believed Kathy and seen past that… I was just trying to be a friend to someone, while looking for gossip. I truly am sorry, and hope you can forgive me."

Again, I was surprised. I looked at them both and saw it in their eyes… Kathy's green eyes swam in tears, while they really showed she was sorry and regretted doing this. Selena's hazel eyes said the same thing, and they looked like they were about to cry. I sighed, leaned against the doorway and gave them a tiny smile.

"I hope you two learned a lesson…" I whispered. "What blind love can do, and what can the thirst for gossip do to someone…"

They both looked away from me, ashamed of their past actions. "I hope we all learned something from this, and I hope we can start over."

Both of them looked up at me and smiled. I shook their hands and once I was about to invite them in my house, I heard the voice I longed to hear since that day…

"Akari?"

We all turned to look at Owen. The two girls glanced at me, and knew I needed time to talk with him. Both Kathy and Selena left without a word and look at Owen. He then started making his way up to me and he stopped when he was at my doorway.

"I hope that they told you?" he asked, and I nodded. I waited for him to speak, and looked at him, holding back the feeling to grab him and kiss him. "I hope you believe them both… They're telling the truth. You can ask Luke, Anissa or Hayden if you like… I'm sorry too Akari. I shouldn't have let Kathy take me away like that. I hope that you believe me too, because I am honestly telling you the truth. Kathy and I are nothing, and will be nothing forever. I hope you can forgive me…"

I stared at him for awhile. His sad, twinkling grey eyes said the truth and I knew he was sorry and wanted my forgiveness… Just when I was about to say something, Owen took something out of his rucksack, and my jaw dropped in shock. He was holding out a _ruby_… The real, ruby and not the fake one! My eyes widened, and I heard him chuckle at my expression. Goddess, how I missed that sound…

"I'm not trying to buy your forgiveness," he said. "Just think of it as a gift from your secret admirer."

He gave me the ruby and I stammered, "O-Owen… This is so… How-?"

He chuckled again, and said, "I work in a mine, remember?"

I laughed, looked at him and said, "I forgive you Owen… I'm the one who should be sorry… I didn't believe the person I trust the most."

Owen grinned at me, and said, "I could never be mad at you. Because…well, I just can't! And Akari, I came to ask you if you wanted to come to the Firefly Festival with me tonight."

I gasped and smiled at my Guardian Angel. "I'd love to Owen. What time is it at?"

He looked at the clock in my house and said in an hour which left me in shock. I had to get ready fast! But how will I? Thankfully, he read my thoughts and he even offered to finish up my last farm chores for me.

"I can do it!" Owen said cheerfully. "Just go and make yourself more pretty than what you already are."

I blushed at his compliment, thanked him and ran inside. I took the quickest shower of my life, pulled out my shorts, my dark blue spaghetti strap shirt, and my converse and put them on as fast I could. I got ready as best as possible then went out to find Owen on the bench where we would usually sit down at.

He grinned at me and led me to Caramel Falls. We found a spot in a grassy area and we sat down together. When the fireflies started to fly, I felt him put his arm around my shoulders and pull me much closer to him. I smiled, and snuggled into his strong chest. I never wanted to let go of him, and I just wanted to be there for the rest of my life if I could… I breathed in his scent I loved so much and sighed, happy that my Guardian Angel protected me from harm's way and we were a step closer to realizing we needed each other to be happier than ever…


	12. Chapter 12: Heavenly Experience

I will always remember the 1st of Fall… It was that special day I waited for ever since I met him… It was that day that I knew he truly did return the same feelings I had for him, and it made me happier than anything.

On that day, I was casually watering my crops when I heard Luke's voice yell out behind me.

"AKARI!" he said. "I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU!"

I stared at him, then laughed and asked, "Well, where's the message?"

Luke opened his mouth, then closed it and looked around the ground. He started crawling back the way he came till he shouted, "Ah-ha!"

He ran back to me and handed me the message. Luke, then actually started giggling in such a girly way, then he started running back to the carpentry like Jack Sparrow would run…

I shook my head trying to forget that weird noise forever and looked at the message. It was a small note and it came with my favorite flower, which is a rose. I started to smile, and I read the message printed on the note:

_Hey Akari! Well, I hope you can guess who this is from… If you can't, well, it's Owen. Wow that was stupid. Scratch that out! Anyways, once you get this letter, come meet me at the shop whenever you can. There's something I want to ask you. I would've gone to ask you myself, but I thought this might be a romantic way since I know you like that. I hoped it work and see you soon!_

_Owen_

Igiggled, and put the letter away. "I gotta hurry!" I said aloud. As fast as I could, I watered my plants, fed and talked to my animals, and walked to the blacksmith's. I started smiling to myself as I remembered the Firefly Festival and thought how much I liked him. I had to step up my game and tell him my true feelings. I was too busy caught up in my moment when I saw a flash of red hair go in front of me.

"Hey," Owen said smiling at me.

"Hello," I said, blushing.

"If you're not busy today, I was wondering if you could meet me at Alan's Tree at noon today," he said a little shyly.

I smiled at Owen and nodded. "Yeah sure. How come?"

"You'll see," he replied. "I'll see you then yeah? I gotta go help Gramps before I go."

We said goodbye, and left our separate ways. I went to Brownie Ranch to kill some time with Renee before meeting Owen and I was just really excited. Once the clock said 11:50 a.m., I headed to Alan's tree and waited for the time to come. I started daydreaming, so I sat down beneath the tree. The colors of fall were really beautiful and I had never paid attention to any of this. It was when I was getting up when I saw Owen coming towards. I waved at him and he waved back as he smiled the smile I loved so much.

"Hey, I hope you didn't wait long," he told me.

"Nah, I didn't," I said laughing. "So what's up?"

Owen started blushing and he smiled at me. I looked at him curiously, and smiled back. Why was he acting like this? Yes, I was that clueless when it happened. I had no idea what was going on, and it was something I had least expected for that day.

"I want to be straightforward 'cause I'm no good at fancy stuff," he said. Owen cleared his throat and spoke again. "For awhile, we both started acting differently. I really wanted to show you how I felt. And how I feel, is that, I really love you Akari! I'm in love with you. I couldn't ignore it anymore, so I had to tell you."

I stared at him, then I felt my face break out in a big smile. "Is this how you feel?" I asked him breathlessly.

He nodded eagerly and smiled anxiously, waiting for my response to his confession. I think my grin got bigger and I ran to him and hugged Owen.

"I'm so glad you told me," I said into his chest. "Because I feel the same way for you."

Owen looked down at me, and his eyes twinkled the way they do when he would be happy. "Really?"

"Yes!" I said happily.

"Wow! So are we like, boyfriend and girlfriend now?" he asked eagerly.

"I think so!" I replied laughing. Goddess, he's so adorabale!

"You're my girlfriend! And I'm your boyfriend!" he said aloud.

I giggled and snuggled into his chest, now taking in the feeling of being a "girlfriend" to Owen. Just then, he stopped laughing and I felt him pull himself off of me. I looked at him, and knew our "moment" from Anissa's wedding was about to finish. He cupped both of my cheeks, and started bringing my face closer to his. I felt my face heat up, and my heart start racing fast. Automatically, I put my hands on his forearms, and when I did that, his lips kissed mine in such a sweet way, it made me feel like I was floating up to the sky. Then I felt him put his arms around my waist, and I wrapped mine around his neck, pulling us closer to each other. After a few minutes of kissing, we stopped but I felt him bite my lip.

"Owen!" I said smiling at him.

He chuckled, kissed my forehead, and snuggled his nose against mine. I pecked him on the lips and we stood there together in a hug.

"I love you Akari," Owen whispered.

"I love you too, Owen," I whispered back.

Now, I knew that my Guardian Angel really did feel the same way for me. I was never going to forget that special day. My first kiss with My Guardian Angel really did feel like a heavenly experience I'll always loved.


	13. Chapter 13: My Family

Everything with Owen was going great! We were spending much more time together and I just didn't know how things could get better between us. He even came to my farm on his days off just to help me! Owen is so adorable! I loved the way he's so sweet and caring for me. It was going great for us and we were both very happy.

But one day, Owen asked me something really surprising. It was nighttime already, and the autumn breeze was gentle, and from the bench in that were sitting on, there was a beautiful view of the ocean. I had put my head on his shoulder when he asked me something I hadn't thought about since we became friends.

"Who are your parents, Akari?" he asked looking down at me.

I looked at him surprise. I completely forgot about my family while I started working on the farm.

"Um, their names are Angel and Gabrielle," I said still surprised. "How come Owen?"

He smiled sweetly and replied, "I just want to know about them since I'm their daughter's boyfriend. Tell me about them, and I'll tell you about mine."

My face broke out in a grin so I agreed. "Well," I started. "They live in the city, for one thing. They met in college and got married a few years later as college sweethearts."

Owen listened intently on my story of my parents. He laughed at the moments I was air head with them, whenever we would go on vacation, how they only wanted one daughter and at how they took care of me when I was a baby. I continued throughout all the good times, and when I had finally finished with those good times, I hesitated to go on with the negative thoughts.

"Anything else?" he asked. But he knew there was something else I didn't like to talk about much.

I looked down at the ground and continued my side of my family story. "Well, during parent kinds of things at my school, I'd always be left alone…"

"Why?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"Because my parents worked around the world, they had to travel all over the place. I was always lonely when I would see my friends with their parents. I don't have any brothers or sisters... And one special holiday, my parents were both gone," I added.

I felt Owen stroke my arm as I started feeling sad again. I took a deep breath and continued. "I don't blame them. It was their job you know? Had to keep it going to provide for-well, me. Sometimes we would get in fights because of it, and they'd tell me the same thing over and over again. 'We love you, but you know how hard it is. We promise to spend more time once we get home.' I always believed it, even if it turned out to hardly ever come true."

"After my mom got better of her pregnancy from me, she and Dad started again with their travels from what my grandparents told me," I added. "My grandparents took care of me since then. _They _felt like my real loving parents, always there for me. I think I spent more time with them than my own parents! When my grandpa died, though they came back and it was perfect for awhile… Me and my grandma went to go live with my aunts and it was nice too. It just got really bad when my parents found a second home in a different country… It really hit me hard, and I didn't like remembering."

"It did feel like they didn't care about me, and that's what made me pick a simple, yet money making job. They did come and visit us when they could, but it didn't feel the same for me. So, I promised myself, if I were to have a family one day, I want to make sure I'm always there with them. I've already travelled enough with my parents, that' why I the farming job here interested me," I finished.

Owen nodded, in an understanding way and held me closer to him. "I'm sorry Akari. I never knew your life was like this. I hope your okay," he told me.

I nodded and kissed his cheek. "Thank you Owen," I replied. "And yes, I'm alright now. I'm just glad my life is much better now."

We stared at the ocean before I asked him about his parents. I noticed his sad look, but he took in a deep breath and started with his family story.

"My parents were here on this island. Met and fell in love with each other, and my dad opened up the blacksmith shop. It was good and they had me, you know," he started and laughed.

"But when I was about five or six, my parents became really ill. Gramps came over to help out. And Gramps isn't really my grandpa, he's Chloe's grandfather, but he still treated me with good nature. Eventually, my parents couldn't get any better with anything, and they passed away…"

I looked into Owen's eyes and saw the painful memories he held in there. He turned to look at me and the sadness was now more noticeable.

"I had to be strong. I kept on helping Gramps run the place when he decided to stay here with us. We both took care of ourselves and of Chloe when her parents passed away of probably the same cause. All three of us made it together and I'm happy we're all healthy. I just wish I could remember those memories we had together…"

My hand automatically made its way towards his, and our fingers intertwined together. I rested my head on his shoulder and slowly stroked his hand with my fingers. I didn't want him to be sad now; he's a very strong guy that really could make things keep on going no matter how bad they are.

To my amazement, he was smiling at me. "I'm still going great, and it's because of their support from up there! I know that they'll always love and support me whenever I need it down here," he said cheerfully. "Whenever I go visit their graves, I know they're happy to see me, and I also know that they're happy for me because I found the girl that they love, and that I love."

"Oh Owen," I said beaming warmly at him.

He kissed me for a moment before he went on. "Well, I just hope that your folks approve of me!"

I laughed and said, "They do. I sent them letters when I can."

He smiled and a relieved look on his face. We snuggled up closer, and I was happier now because we both knew what had just happened. We really did trust each other so much, we now spoke of our family lives and problems and this was a bigger step for us. I really did pick the right Guardian Angel for me. _I love you Owen! _I thought to myself as we continued staring at the beautiful view of the ocean during an autumn night.


	14. Chapter 14: The Legend of the Island

One day, after Owen and I had our talk about our families, Hamilton came to my house as a surprise visit at six in the morning. I thought I was the only weirdo on this island that woke up at that time in the morning but the mayor really surprised me that day.

I opened to find the short mayor at my front door, and it was raining! I couldn't believe what was wrong! Standing in the rain at six in the morning is not a good idea. Nonetheless, I brought him inside of my home away from all the rain outside.

"Uh, what were you doing out in the rain?" I asked him curiously.

Hamilton gave a hearty chuckle and said, "Well, I came here to tell you about one of our traditions here on this island."

"What is that tradition?" I asked him.

"It is the legend of the Blue Feather!" he said excitedly. "We use the Blue Feather as a symbol of proposing marriage to the one you love. Long ago, there was a bird said to be so blue, it blended with the sky! If somebody were to ever find this bird or its feather, that person would achieve happiness in life!"

I listened with interest, and feeling my face going probably a hundred different shades of red. "As I recall, I do remember seeing you spending a lot of time with the island's blacksmith!" Hamilton said laughing at my expression of shyness.

"Well, Akari, I just hope you find happiness with him or with whomever you want it to be. Just search the skies for that bird!"

I nodded my head still thinking about that bird and Hamilton left my house, (now with an umbrella he pulled out). I sat down and began thinking… _Would Owen accept it? Would he be too taken back? What if he rejects me? What would it do to our relationship? _A million questions soared through my mind, but I had to stop myself and think positively.

"Okay, Akari," I told myself. "No matter what, be positive! If you be positive, then things will turn out great! If not, well, things won't be great."

I decided to focus on looking at the sky whenever I could and see if that bird showed up. It wasn't until almost two weeks later, however, that the Goddess finally heard my plea to find the blue bird. I had already finished watering my crops and began to brush the newest member of the barn family, my horse Yusei when I looked up to see a thing flying past the corner of my eye. My jaw dropped like Naruto's would when something surprising happened; I saw the Blue Bird of Happiness flying towards Caramel Falls. I dropped the brush I was holding and literally flew to find it.

Once I reached the falls, I searched everywhere for the bird.

"Ugh, where the hell did it go?" I said aloud to myself. "I'm gonna have to get up and see from the waterfall."  
When I was going to go up the cliff, I heard a "tweet" and I looked up automatically again. My face broke out in a grin when I saw a Blue Feather slowly falling in my hands.

"YES!" I yelled out happily. "I can't wait to see Owen!" I squealed happily. I forced myself to actually make the move. I just hoped that Owen really does feel the same way about marriage! I really loved Owen and I was going to show him what I feel for him! I just didn't know then that a big surprise was coming my way as well!


	15. Chapter 15: Rooftop Proposals!

**A/N: Follow the POVs cause I thought it'd be more suspenseful like this. :) Follow them carefully not to get lost! Hope you guys enjoy it!**

A week later, I planned out a romantic date for Owen and me to have so I could pop the question. It felt really weird to propose to guy… I mean, isn't it supposed to be the other way around? I was going to ask Anissa who asked who, but my strong guess was Jin. But I have heard of some women asking to marry to the one they love… Bah, well I'm just going to let things float naturally.

Owen agreed to come to my house around seven to have dinner with me, (I begged Chase to cook something delicious), and afterwards we could walk around the beach or by Caramel Falls or something. I had no idea what would happened but I just prayed for things to turn out good!

Anissa and Renee decided to come over a bit before to help me set up things and make fun of me.

"You look so anxious it's cute!" Renee giggled.

Anissa smiled and agreed. "I have never seen you like this before. It's really amusing."

"You know your mommy was kind of like this on her wedding day," I said talking to Anissa's pregnant belly. "I guess she likes to take revenge on me. Don't be like her!"

We spend the rest of the time laughing at each other and calming me down when the time finally came. Renee and Anissa wished me luck as they left my house. Thankfully, I had upgraded my house to the next level and it was a perfect size for two people in here. I just hoped it didn't look desperate! I WAS tired of being cramped up, especially with my new puppy Link.

I shook away the bad thoughts as I started pacing in circles worrying about a speck of dust on the table or chairs. When I heard the knock on my door, I leaped like a dancer to it, though not as gracefully because I nearly slipped, and opened the door. Owen stood there with a big smile on his face, with a white long sleeve and black slacks; he looked really handsome.

"Hey there!" he said cheerfully.

"Hola!" I said laughing.

He kissed my lips and went inside. We sat on the table and ate our dinner together, talked laughed, and of course kiss. The Blue Feather in my pocket was still there waiting to be given to my Guardian Angel making me more nervous by the second!

**Owen's POV**

I made my way to Akari's house, (with Gramps, Chloe, Luke, Dale and Bo all making fun of me as I passed. They were happy for me, but they just liked to make fun of me a lot. I was hoping that I hadn't dressed too formal or unformal, but it was too late once I knocked on Akari's door. I heard a squeak inside and chuckled at how she must've slipped when she wanted to open the door. Akari opened the door and she stood there, in a really nice red blouse and black jeans that made her hazel eyes stand out a lot.

I tried to say something flattering, but all that came out was, "Hey there!" _Way to go genius!_ I thought to myself.

"Hola!" she replied smiling. She invited me in and sat down at her table and began to eat. The food was really good, and I had a hunch Chase was involved in this. I complimented her outfit and the box in my pocket kept giving me mental signals to do it now!

**Akari's POV**

Once we were done, I asked him, "So, what do you want to do now?"

He shrugged and said, "Anything. Do you wanna do something in particular?"

I thought about, and said that I'd like to go walk around the district or even just sit down on the bench like we always do after we hang out, or in our current case, after our dates.

Owen then looked out the window and smirked. "Well, the moon's out. It's not a full moon, but the skies are clear and you can see the stars… Wanna go sit down on your roof?"

I stared at him, surprised but that actually was a good idea.

"Sure, why not?"

Outside, Owen went into the barn and got the ladder out. I told him to be careful when I saw him coming out with it, but it wasn't needed! His strong upper body handled the job well and… let's just say I looked like an idiot standing there with drool almost rolling down my chin. I snapped out of my daze and climbed up the ladder to my rooftop.

**Owen's POV**

After we had our dinner and talked, she asked me what I wanted to do. I didn't really mind, but I had a corny idea that popped in my head. I told Akari we should go sit down on the roof.

When we went outside, I got her ladder from the barn and I heard her tell me, "Be careful!"

I laughed and lifted the ladder up, and smiled when I saw her staring at me. I think I just saw the look I do whenever I see Akari or even when I pass by her farm and she's working with her animals. I helped her up the roof, and set up a blanket she loaned me on the floor, or on the roof. Or on the floor of the roof… Eh, doesn't matter.

Once we were sitting down comfortably, (I was hugging her close to me and Akari had her head on my chest), she asked, "What do you want to talk about?"

I thought about it, and I said, "How about we ask random questions? It's a fun thing Chloe and I do when we're bored. Not that I'm bored or anything!" I added quickly.

Akari giggled and said, "Okay then! Mmm… Do you know any other language?"

"Uhh," I said stupidly.

Akari smiled and I challenged her. "Oh yeah? How about you Miss Other Language?"

"Ich spreche deutsch," she said laughing in my face.

I looked away, jokingly saying made up words that made her laugh more. When I turned around, I looked into her hazel eyes that sparkled much more than any other time, and kissed her gently, forcing myself to do it before I turned a hundred!

**Akari's POV**

I laid my head on his chest when we were on the roof. I was going to ask Owen right then and there, but the thing that came out of my mouth was, "What do you want to talk about?"

Owen shrugged and suggested a game of random questions we could play. I agreed so I asked him first. When I told him I spoke German, Owen looked away from me and started saying weird words that were probably his own language. He turned around and his said it all for me… Those beautiful grey eyes said _I love you Akari,_ and something told me my Guardian Angel did feel the same way I do for him… He kissed me tenderly, and I knew I was going to do it now.

**Owen's POV**

Once we stopped kissing, I said, "Now my turn for the question!"

She smiled, took my hand in hers and nodded for me to go on. I grinned at her, and asked before I regretted it, "What do you think about marriage?"

Her eyes widened, and that made me feel more nervous. "And I mean, marriage between you and me," I added as I felt my proposing side taking over.

It was so cute how she looked surprised but happy at the same time. Her answer made me feel more relaxed as she said, "I'd like that very much Owen! Because I love you, I know I'd do my best to be a good wife to love you and take care of you… I want to be with you forever and ever."

_Yes! She does feel the same way!_ I thought to myself. My grin got wider and I hugged her tight. "I'd feel the same way too, Akari," I told her. "I'd want to be able to laugh with you for many years! And just grow old and wrinkly together and be the cute old couple everybody loves!"

Akari laughed lightly and snuggled into my chest. I didn't feel her hand moving into her pocket, since I was too busy taking the box out of my own pocket…

**Akari's POV**

"What do you think about marriage?" Owen asked me when he said it was his turn.

I got really surprised and was about to say something when he added, "And I mean marriage between you and me."

I still felt myself surprised and relieved, because hopefully he had hinted something. "I'd like that very much Owen! Because I love you, I know I'd do my best to be a good wife to love you and take care of you… I want to be with you forever and ever," I told him. I felt his arms wrap around me in a tight hug and he replied, "I'd feel the same way too, Akari. I'd want to be able to laugh with you for many years! And just grow old and wrinkly together and be the cute old couple everybody loves!"

_Oh he's so adorable! _I thought to myself. I snuggled closer into his chest and reached into my pocket for the feather, and I didn't feel him grabbing something from his pocket!

"Owen, I have something to tell you."

"Akari, I have something to tell you."

We both said it at the same time, and we laughed nervously together.

"You start," Owen said stroking my hair.

I looked up at him, and blurted out, "You're my Guardian Angel."

I wasn't surprised he gave me a very confused look, so I began to explain what the generations of my family believed in. From the time when they're children, they dream their Guardian Angel and that Angel turns out to be the love of your life. "I always saw my Guardian Angel as a strong guy with red hair and grey eyes," I finished quietly, but loud enough for him to hear me.

His eyes widened in surprise and said, "That's me! So, I'm your Guardian Angel?"

I nodded, and added, "Owen, you know that I love you right? And that's why I want to give you this."

I showed him the Blue Feather and I saw him smile, and relax which made me get both relieved and surprised too.

**Owen's POV**

I didn't know Akari believed that! I wish she had told me about the Guardian Angels, but I couldn't believe that she imagined hers as a strong guy with red hair and grey eyes.

"That's me! So, I'm your Guardian Angel?" I had said. _No duh, again._ I thought.

Akari even showed me the Blue Feather! Now, it was true that she returned the same feelings for me. I smiled and took out _my _gift now.

"Akari, I'm glad you told me this," I started. "I just thought it was the guy's job to do the proposing!" She smiled shyly, but I continued. "I do have something planned for you, but are you sure that you want to marry me?"

Akari nodded happily, and I took the Blue Feather. "I'm really happy now! Anyways, my turn again!" I held out the box to her, and opened. I was glad to see her eyes get bigger and her mouth dropped open. Inside was a silver necklace, with a pendant shaped in a small heart with a real sapphire inside it, two golden wedding rings, and a Blue Feather.

"My dad gave and made this for my mom when he proposed to her," I explained. "This is even the original Blue Feather. Gramps kept this when they died, so he could give it to me when I found that special someone for me. And that someone is you, Akari."

She looked up at me bewildered, but very happy. I smiled at her and added, "I love you Akari. Will you marry me?"

**Akari's POV **

My Blue Feather looked like nothing compared to Owen's proposal! The necklace, rings and a Blue Feather for me! I felt my face smile as wide as it could, and I took the Blue Feather from Owen, and when he finished putting on the necklace, I threw myself on him that we almost slid down! The roof was really cold from the fall temperature but I didn't care one bit.

"Yes!" I said kissing his cheek who knows how many times. "I'll marry you Owen. I love you my Guardian Angel."

He smiled back at me and kissed me in such a passionate way, I nearly melted into water. "I love you too my human person."

I burst into my hysterical laughter, which I do when something really exciting happens, and snuggled his nose against mine. We started kissing again, happy we were both engaged to each other! Now my Guardian Angel and I were going to be together forever and ever, just like my grandma, my great grandma and everyone of my relatives that lived happily ever after because of this simple, dream they had.


	16. Chapter 16: Congratulations!

Everybody started wishing us congratulations on our marriage the next day! Probably Hamilton spread the word, and with the town bulletin, and of course when I immediately called my two best friends in the morning they told their families and Owen's story to his family and at Luke's place of course. I didn't mind because, well I was just too happy I got engaged to Owen! I just wanted a traditional and simple wedding. I wanted no fancy acrobats, doves flying out of the church, or going back to city to have it there. I only wanted it here at Waffle Island, in the church, and a nice reception and dance afterwards like Anissa's wedding.

Although I just wanted that, I kinda needed help in arranging some things… And well, Luna kept hinting I needed a wedding planner so I wouldn't stress as much, and I made her my wedding planner. Mostly all the girls were going to help me out with something: Candice was going to make my wedding dress and Renee was going to help her, Anissa and Selena were going to provide flowers, Phoebe was helping make a small tiara with Julius and Mira, and Maya wanted to help cook food but I made her Luna's assistant so we wouldn't poison us all…

All was going great, our wedding day was on the eleventh of winter and I couldn't wait! One day though, I heard a surprise knock on my door and I saw Kathy standing outside of my door smiling at me.

"Hey can we talk?" she asked. I nodded and let her inside. Deep down, I was praying that she wasn't here to murder me but I was wrong.

"Congratulations," she told me.

"Thank you," I replied smiling.

She looked at the ground, with a small smile on her face. "You're very lucky," she said. "Owen's a great guy. I hope both of you have a happy life together and I wish you the best."

Her eyes met mine and I smiled at her. "I really appreciate your blessings Kathy," I said. "I know he is a great guy, and by this, I know you're already moving on to the real guy that's out there looking for you. Thank you again."

Kathy smiled, stood up and hugged me. "I'm glad we're friends now. Is there anything I can do to help with your wedding plans? I don't mean to brag, but my dad and I can make some delicious drinks!"

I laughed and replied, "I'd love that very much Kathy."


	17. Chapter 17: Our Wedding & Our New Life

Before I knew it, the days went by so fast I thought it was still fall. Winter was here, and ten days later, the eleventh had come! I woke up that day tired from the small dinner I had with all the girls at my house, and from running after Luke when he kept on asking if he could be the exotic dancer for us! I chased him back to the Ganache Mine District telling him to never remind me of this, ever again! I heard somebody knocking on my door, and I went to open it groggily.

"Go take a shower now!" Luna's voice demanded. I felt Maya start taking me into the restroom, so I went and took a shower. Once I came out, Anissa and Renee and all the girls were getting into their outfits, Luna, already dressed, dragged me to Candice to help me put on my dress.

My wedding dress was just too beautiful… It was all white, the top was a corset encrusted with small shiny stones, it had small sleeves like Belle's dress (from Beauty and the Beast), and the bottom wasn't too poofy or too tight, but just right for the bride to waltz and look beautiful in. The bottom was plain, the top also had a big, beautiful dark blue bow on the back where the corset's ribbons ended, I had long gloves, and the tiara Phoebe, Julius and Mira made was silver with sapphires encrusted on it was just right for the finishing touch of the necklace Owen gave me.

When I looked at myself in the mirror, I smiled as I started twirling around the room. I nearly tackled Candice and thanked her who knows how many times for the amazing dress she made for me.

"Y-your w-welcome," she said shyly, and humbly.

"Okay, okay!" Luna called out clapping her hands. "Let's start making our way to the church now!"

Slowly, the girls all made their way to the church and once we reached the church, everybody went their separate ways. Only Anissa and Renee were the ones left with me, and I suddenly got very nervous.

"I can't believe it! I'm getting married! Owen's over there, and I'm here. We're going to be husband and wife and now… Aaahhh!"

"Akari calm down!" my two best friends said at the same time.

"Everything will be fine," Renee added.

"Now we're going to be walking in a few minutes," Anissa added. "You'll be a great wife, and Owen a great husband and you'll last many years together."

I tried to take in their helpful words, but when I was left alone, I panicked again. Any minute now, I was going to be walking down the aisle to join Owen and be his wife! I looked down at my bouquet full of six red roses, and six white roses, and I smiled as I remembered Anissa telling me the meaning of the colors that meant on each rose.

"Akari!"

I looked back and saw Luna giving me the signal to walk in now. I took in a deep breath and made my way up the aisle. Everybody from town was there, smiling radiantly at me, the bride… The song I was walking to wasn't "Here Comes the Bride", I chose a beautiful instrumental version of Beauty and the Beast. I beamed at Owen when he saw me, almost tripping on my way. He looked so handsome: He wore a brown tuxedo, with the vest and tie a darker brown and a white shirt underneath of course.

When I reached him, he held his hand out for me. I took it and waited for Hamilton to start us off. _You look beautiful _he mouthed. _Thank you _I mouthed back.

A moment later, Owen began his vow. "Akari, I love you with all my heart. I want to wake up every day with you for eternity. You're the princess I see all the time, and even though I'm not a Prince Charming, I'll do whatever I can to make you happy and see your beautiful eyes sparkle. I'll always be there for you good or bad, and I'll make sure I take good care of you. I love you… Be mine forever…"

I nearly cried at his words, and he put the ring on my finger. It was my turn now, and I spoke. "You're my Guardian Angel, Owen. Just like you'll protect me, I'll protect you, when you're sad, I'll make you happy. You've always taken care of me, and now I'm going to take care of you more than I have done in the past. A guy like you comes once in life, and I'm glad I took that chance. I love you Owen. Be mine forever."

I put the ring on his finger, and we both looked at Hamilton for the next phrase. He smiled warmly at us and said, "You may now kiss the bride."

Owen looked at me; his eyes twinkled as he came closer to my face. I closed in the space between us and our lips met together. I heard everybody clapping in the background, but it all started disappearing as Owen and I were in our own world. When we broke apart, we grinned at each other finally happy we could be together forever.

We made our way to Brownie Ranch District where the reception was held. Everybody ate the delicious food Chase and Yolanda cooked, and soon it was dance time! I had no father to dance with, but Ramsey took that place! He said I really was like a daughter to him… Finally, I was in Owen's arms as we waltzed our song, "Your Guardian Angel" by the Redjumpsuit Apparatus, and "Amor Real" by Sin Bandera. Soon, everybody joined the dance and it started going great! Simon took pictures of everybody he could find, Luke had a crazy sugar rush, and everybody was really having a good time at the wedding.

Before I knew it, the special day was coming to an end, and everybody started waving goodbye to Owen and me as he carried me bridal style all the way to _our _house.

**At Home:**

I stood in the restroom nervously. My wedding dress was hanging neatly on the hook of the door, and I was there in a simple, short and silky nightdress. It was already our wedding night, and everyone knows what happens that night! I took a deep breath in and went out to join Owen. He was sitting down on the bed, without his suit, his white shirt unbuttoned revealing his chest and his pants still on.

He looked at me in the dress, wagged his eyebrow and said, "Hey sexy wife."

I giggled and felt my face blush. "Hey handsome husband!" I replied

Owen motioned for me to sit down next to him, and when I did, he took my hand and asked, "Are you nervous?"

My heart was racing, but only because I knew what was coming… I shook my head and grinned at him.

Owen looked up at me, and whispered, "I love you Akari… Forever and ever. You can count on that from the time we were friends till the end of time…"

Our foreheads touched, and I replied, "I love you too Owen… I'll always love you, be by your side for the rest of eternity, my Guardian Angel."

He closed in the space, and started kissing me. I kissed him back, and suddenly I felt his hand stroke my leg gently. I wrapped my arms around his neck to bring him closer, and he gently pushed me back on the bed without breaking our kiss. And then…well you can imagine the rest that happened that night! ;)


	18. Chapter 18: Conflict and Resolution

Owen and I really enjoyed being with each other every day! He's also an adorable husband… On his days off from work, he'd always be there to help me with the farm and we just made such a great team together. Slowly, winter passed by and we celebrated my birthday, the Starry Night Festival, and the New Years' Eve together. We even went to Toby and Renee's wedding a week after ours! This is where Luke proposed to Selena! We also saved our trip to our honeymoon for when it got warmer and when we went to Toucan Island; let's just say it was another very heavenly experience I was never going to forget!

But when things go great, sometimes, things can go wrong though… On Owen's day off sometime in spring, we barely had finished our work and we went into our home, exhausted from all the chores we had done that day.

Owen flopped down on our new couch, (wedding gift), sighed and said, "I sure could go for a cool drink…"

I nodded in agreement and he asked me, "Akari, do you mind if we go to the Sundae Inn tonight for a bit? To spend time with Luke and Gramps? Please?"

Owen gave me those puppy eyes I loved but hated so much, and I had no choice. "You can go," I said laughing. "I don't feel like going, I'm tired… Just be careful, okay?"

He grinned at me, ran up to me and kissed me. "Thank you! I'll be home as soon as I can!" Owen kissed me a couple of times before he left the house.

"I love you!" he called out as walked out.

"I love you too!" I called back laughing.

I took advantage of the time being alone to take a long and relaxing hot shower. I got out, ate some dinner, laid on the bed and watched TV waiting for Owen. I started getting worried that he hadn't come back, and I was about to go looking for Owen when the phone rang. Hoping it'd be Owen, or some kind of sign that it was related to him, I answered the phone.

"Hello?" I said.

"Akari?" I heard Kathy's voice say.

"Yes?" I replied worried.

"I think you should come down to the bar… There's something here that you probably shouldn't see, but you're going to have to."

My heart started beating fast, and I felt really nervous now… "How come? What's happened?"

"Just come here… It's better to see it, but it involves Owen…" Kathy said, in a concerned way.

"Okay, I'm on my way," I said. I quickly put on my shoes and ran out of my house. I kept praying Owen was okay and that nothing serious was wrong with him, but I still kept running towards the bar. When I was a few feet away, I walked to the bar, hesitated as I remembered what had happened before, and went inside.

My jaw dropped at what I saw inside: Owen was _drunk_ and he was not the same Owen! Kathy and Luke tried to calm him down, but he just kept shouting and saying really weird things to everybody.

Kathy came running to me, and she explained. "Eh… Owen had a little too much to drink tonight, and we tried to stop him from drinking too much, but he still managed to get the drinks somehow…"

"Owen…" I said. I never knew this about him… Why hadn't he told me that his weakness was drinks?

I walked to where he was with Luke trying to talk some sense into him.

"I'm sorry Akari!" Luke said, apologizing. "It was fun at first, but then it got outta whack…"

"Why didn't he tell me?" I said almost crying.

Luke helped me bring Owen to our house, and it was really difficult. He kept trying to run away or dance with Luke, and it was just disturbing. Once we got home, Luke left still apologizing for not controlling Owen.

"H-hey!" Owen slurred. "Whatyoudoinghere?"

"Trying to bring you home," I said not looking at him.

"You are a good wife!" he added laughing.

"Why didn't you tell me this before Owen?" I asked him.

"Huh?" he burped.

"Why didn't you tell me you actually like to drink?" I repeated.

"If you don't like it," Owen replied, actually annoyed. "Then stop worryingaboutme!"

"Well, I kinda have to!" I fired back. "You're the husband I happen to love, Owen!"

"Bah!" he said. "Screw you, I'm going to bed! I'm tired 'cause I have to have two jobs now."

"No one's asking you to help me around the farm!" I said, almost sobbing.

"I have to because you're bossy!" he slurred angrily again.

I stayed quiet… Did he really think that way about me? With the tears blinding my sight, I grabbed a blanket and a pillow and stormed out of our room.

"Where ya going bossy girl?" Owen called out tauntingly.

Goodnight!" I yelled at him. I laid down so harshly on the couch that it could've been broken with a little more force. I said nothing else to Owen till I heard him snoring the night away, and when he did, I burst into tears. I was so angry at him! Why didn't he tell me he liked drinking? Did he really mean all that he told me? What had I done wrong with him? I slowly cried myself to sleep trying to cool down my anger and try to forget what Owen had told me…

**Owen's POV**

I woke up with a really bad hangover the following morning. Ugh, I hated them so much! I'm really, really stupid to have that many drinks when I hadn't in a long time… Just then I realized I was alone… Was I at the shop? No… I was at my home, but alone… Where was Akari? I slowly stood up, forcing myself to deal with the horrible pain in my head. I noticed a lump of blankets on the couch and I headed that way. My eyes widened in horror as I saw Akari laying there sleeping, with a tear stained face…

_Way to go Owen, you told her something bad last night _I thought to myself. I tried to nudge her awake and I suddenly remembered what I had told her…

"_Bah! Screw you, I'm going to bed! I'm tired 'cause I have to have two jobs now."_

"_No one's asking you to help me around the farm!"_

"_I have to because you're bossy!"_

Oh man! I really was a big jerk! How could I have been a big fat jerk to my wife? She was not bossy at all! I was the one who wants to help her around here! Ugh, I hated myself so much right now!

**Akari's POV**

I felt something shaking me gently. My eyes slowly opened, and they formed the figure of the familiar man who had told me the worse things I've never heard him tell me before…

"What do you want now?" I asked coolly as he looked down ashamed. "Going to tell me that I'm a farmer freak? Or that I'm possessive of you?"

Owen winced probably from the headache he was having. As if he read my mind, he said, "Akari, I'm sorry I never told you this… I admit, I have gotten drunk before but that was a long time ago. I'm sorry I had to get like this, and especially because you saw me…"

"Owen, I just wish you would've given me a heads up," I replied still sad. "It hurt more that you told me…stuff while you were drunk."

Owen sighed, and added, "I remember what I told you. Forgive me please… I don't think any of that stuff I told you is true. I would never think badly about you because I love you, and you're the special person that means a lot to me. I hope you can forgive me…"

I looked at him, and I knew his words were true. I was just too stubborn to do anything about it.

"Owen," I forced myself to say. "I love you a lot, and I hope I don't have to see you get drunk behind my back again…"

He looked at me, and intertwined our fingers together. He nudged his forehead against mine, and after a moment of silence, I said, "Just tell me when you're going to the bar, so I could get drunk with you!"

Owen's eyes widened in surprise and he gave a booming laugh that made his head hurt a million times worse.

"We'll be the drunk couple!" he joked around.

I giggled, and smiled as he kissed me lovingly. Our first obstacle as husband and wife was now resolved. 


	19. Chapter 19: Congratulations! Again!

A few more weeks passed by since Owen and I had our first fight. All was going smoothly, and for everyone else too! I mean, Anissa had her baby, Renee got pregnant, Luke and Selena got married, and most of the guys were starting to propose to the one girl that they love! The atmosphere was a positive one, and everything seemed like it was just going to get better from now on. Even the island looked much livelier than when I first got here last year. Even a really big surprise hit Owen and me one day when the days started getting hotter as it got near summer.

I woke up one morning really cheerful. I was in a good mood about to prepare breakfast till I heard Owen wake up, told me "Good morning Akari," and go to the restroom. Out of the blue, I started crying as if I had a horrible nightmare. Owen nearly broke the door to the restroom as he came to me.

"Akari! What's wrong?" he asked extremely worried.

"Y-you d-d-didn't kiss me g-good m-m-morning!" I wailed sadly.

He looked at me bewildered, and he kissed me. "Thank you Owen!" I said cheerfully again as if nothing had ever happened.

Owen stared at me curiously, chuckled nervously and went to go change. I went on with preparing breakfast and I opened the fridge see what we had. It was the same old breakfast of scrambled eggs, juice, and toast like every other day and I wrinkled my nose. I wanted something, but what? I stared off into space suddenly thinking of a juicy, fried chicken burger with cheese and bacon from KFC along with a cold Sprite and some tasty french fries…

I must've looked really stupid because I heard Owen laugh at me. "Akari," he said still laughing. "What the heck are you thinking about?"

I laughed nervously. "Uh, nothing," I said. "Ignore me, I'm weird!"

We made our breakfast, and before I served them onto the plates, I got this horrible nausea when I looked at the food… I dropped the pan, ran as fast as I could to the restroom and threw up. Once I calmed down, I saw Owen looking at me with worry.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded and tried to stand up, but I felt real dizzy. He got me by the shoulders and said, "Let's go the clinic. You look pale. Just look at yourself in the mirror!"

"No! What if I'm just dehydrated or something?" I said, hoping to avoid bad medicine or a shot.

"Hey, we should go now," he told me in a stern but gentle way.

I had no choice. Whenever he had that voice, it meant he won the argument or discussion we were having.

"Fine, but I'm blaming you if I get a painful shot and forgetting about my animals!" I told him.

**At the Clinic:**

"Hmmm… Interesting," Irene said looking at my test results.

"Um… Is she sick or something?" Owen asked. He really did look worried like he was about to get on the scariest rollercoaster ever.

"Oh there's nothing to worry about," Irene said happily as she turned to us. "I think you both of you should be happy about this. Congratulations, you are going to have a baby."

I stayed on the seat in pure shock… Owen, on the other hand, jumped back a bit.

"Sh-she's pregnant?" he asked in disbelief.

Irene smiled and nodded. "Yes. I hope all goes well with. I will be calling Akari to schedule appointments, and give her the medication needed for pregnancies. And cut back on the farmwork." She wrote a note on my results and congratulated us again before we left the clinic. We walked out and headed to our house in a shocked silence.

"We're going to be parents…" I said to Owen.

"I-I don't know what to say…" he said. "But the word I can describe it as is… Well, I'm happy!"

"Really?" I asked. "You're going to have to see me have mood swings, and I'm going to get cravings, and you're going to see me get fatter every day…"

I felt Owen hug me tight. "Akari, I don't care about that!" he said laughing. "I'll support you all the way through. Trust me."

I looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you Owen!"

"I may not look affected," he told me. "But trust me, I am! I'm happy we're going to have a baby together! I can't wait."

I smiled sweetly at Owen. I stood on my tipy toes and kissed him. I really felt happy at the thought of being a parent with my Guardian Angel and bringing our child into this world.


	20. Chapter 20: Praying

Gossip spread all around Waffle Island fast! There wasn't a single person who knew didn't know that I was going to have a baby. I really was happy, but I just didn't like the idea of not working on the farm as much as I used to, or getting the horrible mood swings like Anissa had once, and I don't really like the idea of getting a big ol' round stomach! I felt bad because Owen decided to make a new work schedule to help out on the farm more now that I wasn't going to be working as much, but I loved that caring side of him so much! He really was my Guardian Angel.

Slowly, the days rolled on by and before we all knew it, it was the middle of the summer! But somehow, everybody was either busy with wedding preparations or with pregnancy/baby preparations since a few more couples discovered they were going to be parents, or in Renee and Toby's case, their baby was born!

My stomach slowly got rounder and bigger. I even got the mood swings! I'd be in a cheerful mood, then I'd get mad, then I'd feel guilty and start crying, then I'd be cheerful again! Even mixed up emotions! I prayed to the Goddess for time to go by fast so I wouldn't be a crazy pregnant lady anymore!

Owen even took me somewhere to pray one day, actually. I was laying down the bed, poking my stomach, (I guess you can say playing with the baby) and talking to it, when Owen came in from outside and asked me.

"Akari, do you want to go to the church and pray to the Goddess?"

"How come?" I asked him.

"So we can pray the baby is healthy and strong," he explained smiling at me.

I looked at my stomach, then at Owen and gave him a sweet smile. "I'd love that," I said.

He walked over to me and held his hand out, "Come on."

I took it and we headed for the church, hand in hand.

At the church, Owen started to say, "We wish for a healthy baby."

Then he turned to me and asked, "Akari, do you want a baby boy, or a baby girl?"

I looked at him surprised and I looked up at the stained glass windows when he started to explain to me. "Whenever you come here to pray for baby to be born strong and healthy, you can also wish for the gender you want your baby to be. If you wish for boy, the Harvest Goddess will give you a boy, and vice versa with a girl. But if you don't have a preference, then the Goddess will surprise you the day that the baby will be born on its gender."

I nodded as I understood, and I knew what gender I wanted to be…

"Let me see," I told him, thinking back to when I said how I want the children order to be when I had a family…

"I got it!" I said after a moment.

"What is it?" Owen asked eagerly. "Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!"

I giggled, rubbed my belly gently and said softly, "I want a baby girl…"

Owen beamed at me and he started rubbing my swollen belly too. "She's going to be Daddy's little girl then!" he said still smiling warmly at me.

We both turned back to the altar where were we got married, and we both said out loud, "I wish for a healthy baby girl."

Once we made it back home from the church, Owen was being too adorable! I loved the way he was acting and how excited he was for his little girl to be born soon.

"Mommy Akari," Owen said as he tried to grab me around my waist.

"Daddy Owen," I said, laughing as he gave up grabbing my waist and turning me around to him.

"I love you Akari… Thank you for giving us this baby…" he said, putting our foreheads together.

"I love you too Owen," I replied stroking his nose with mine. "I'm happy we're going to be parents and with your help too."

He blushed bright red, and he said, "Well, you're the one that had to 'suffer' having to put a baby in you."

It was my turn to blush so I told him, "Oh, shut up. I love you, and I'm glad we're starting a family now."

Owen kissed my forehead, and we turned to look at our house that would hopefully be filled with a lot of Owen Jr.'s and a lot of mini Akaris all running around the house, making it chaotic but lovable.


	21. Chapter 21: Our New Family

My pregnancy was going well. Irene said it was in perfect condition, and that the baby was healthy. She also offered to give us the gender of the baby, but Owen and I waited to see if the Harvest Goddess really heard our prayer for our baby girl.

Fall was finally here though. The leaves had changed color, there was a new breeze in the air, and the climate got cooler. I missed working on my farm, and I watched Owen working with the animals and the crops as I paced around the farm, longing to be working on the fields… The only thing that Owen let me do was water a few crops, talk to my animals, or collect the chicken eggs… It was only because I was due anytime this season, and since my belly had gotten way bigger, he refused to let me do anything at all. I swear, once the baby and I are good, then I'm going to get back on the farm where I truly belong!

My time had finally come when I was at pacing around the crop field, when I got a sharp pain in my stomach.

"AKARI!" Owen bellowed. He ran to me, and asked, "Is it time?"

I tried to stand up, but another pain came, and I whimpered sitting down on the ground.

"I-I think it is…" I breathed. "Ow!" I held my stomach tightly, hoping to make the pain go away somehow.

"Let's go to the clinic now! Hang in there!" he said.

Slowly, and very painfully we made our way to the clinic. All I wanted was for some kind of magic carpet that would carry me all the way to the clinic so I wouldn't bother Owen with all of this… When we were a few feet away from the clinic, Owen carried me bridal style and barged in the clinic.

"Irene!" he yelled. "It's time now!"

Irene quickly helped put me down and they both helped me upstairs. Once I was laying down the bed, while Irene quickly got ready, Owen started going frantic and exploded with a lot of worry.

"A-Akari! You're going to be okay, there's no need to worry! The baby will be fine, and you'll be fine, and we'll all be fine! It's okay, it's okay, don't cry! The pain will go away fast and the baby'll be out before you know it! Be strong! I'm here for you!"

I smiled and said, "Owen, I'm fine. I'll be okay, and so will the baby."

He didn't look like he was about to calm down, but as I kept trying to tell him not to worry, Irene finally finished.

"Hey you're in the way! Please wait outside!"

Owen looked completely bewildered at the thought of leaving me alone to suffer the pain, but when he glanced at me, and I smiled at him, Owen nodded and left to downstairs.

"Akari, you'll have to work with me so the process can be quicker. Just listen to me, do as I say, and it'll be over before you know it. Do you understand?" she explained.

I nodded and suddenly another contraction hit me hard. "Aaaaaahhhhh!" I yelled. "I-I'm sorry… I don't want to yell…"

"It's okay," she said gently as she examined me. "Mmm… No you're four centimeters dilated… Let's get you ready."

**Owen's POV**

"Hey you're in the way! Please wait outside!" Irene told me when I was trying to calm down Akari. Or she tried to calm me down actually…

I was about to protest, since I wanted to be with Akari all the way through. But when I looked at my wife lying down on the bed, and she gave me that sweet smile I loved so much, I nodded and left downstairs.

I think I almost tripped from thinking about Akari in all that pain she was having… I prayed to the Goddess in my mind, so that Akari and our baby would be fine… Once I was about to sit down on a chair, I heard Akari's voice yelling.

I never wanted to hear Akari scream like that ever again. It sounded so horrible and spine chilling, that it made me almost run back upstairs and demand to stay with her. I didn't though because I knew I was just going to cause a scene with Irene and delay Akari from giving birth to the baby.

Now I knew how Luke felt! Since he doesn't like to stay still, I now felt that feeling. I kept jumping up from the chair, glancing upstairs hoping to see Irene coming down, looking out the window, walking back and forth around the room, and just pretty much moving every second I was in there.

Every nerve in my body rattled nervously, and I couldn't take this stupid feeling of worry, nervousness, and just about every bad emotion I could possibly think of!

About a hundred more glances upstairs, I was determined to go up the stairs and see what was going on with Akari! It felt like a thousand hours that I was waiting, when suddenly, Irene was coming downstairs with a gentle smile on her face. I quickly made my way towards her and, when I couldn't find the words to ask her something, Irene spoke.

"Akari is resting," she said. "Both her and the baby are in perfect condition."

Speechlessly, I stared at her, relieved that all was fine. "You can go up and see them," she added with a smile.

I bowed and thanked her and made my way slowly upstairs… Once I reached the room, I looked and saw Akari sitting up on the bed, with that radiant smile of hers as she was carrying a bundle of blankets in her arms that I knew was our baby.

She looked up at me, and said softly, "Hello Owen."

I gaped for a moment before I felt my face smile. I made my way and looked at the bundle, and saw our little baby girl cradled by her mother's arms…

"She's beautiful," I whispered lightly stroking her cheek as she slept soundly.

"I know," Akari said. Our baby girl had red hair, and when she opened her eyes, they were a mixture of my eyes and Akari's eyes; they were pretty dark green eyes…

**Akari's POV**

Owen's face looked really amazed as he saw our little baby girl… I lifted her gently, and Owen took her in his arms now.

"Did you have a name?" I asked him.

He shook his head, still smiling at our little bundle of joy. "Nah, I was too busy worrying about you. Do you have one?" he asked me.

I thought about it for a moment, and looked around the room… There _were _a lot of pretty girl names I liked, but which one would fit our little girl? There was Mistique, Serenity, and Ariel that were the ones I loved, but I didn't think it'd fit her…

A light bulb suddenly lighted when I remembered the name I loved for awhile now…

I looked at Owen, and asked, "I really like the name Syrena."

Owen looked thoughtful for a moment, looked down at our baby girl and replied, "That's a perfect name."

He leaned down, and started kissing me gently. "I'm glad we had this baby Akari," he added. "I hope I'll be a good parent and that Syrena will be as pretty as her mom is."

I smiled at Owen, and told him, "I love you Owen. I hope I'll be a good parent too."

Owen kissed me one last time before he said, "Get some rest now. You've worked hard and you deserve a break. Goodnight Akari."

Slowly, I drifted off into sleep thinking of the family Owen and I started with Syrena and hopefully, there will be more little babies that will make our family grow bigger and make Owen and I good parents for all them.


	22. Chapter 22: Baby Syrena!

Our baby, Syrena seemed to be the talk of the town! Once I was better, Irene and Perry released me and we headed home. We had barely walked out of the clinic when Shelly, Hamilton, Colleen, Jake, Yolanda, and Hayden all "casually" had to go to the clinic, but all of them ended goggling over Syrena, holding her and saying nice cute things about her.

"Oh my Goddess she's so adorable!"

"She looks just like you Akari!"

"I think she looks more like Owen."

"What's her name?"

"Oh she has such beautiful eyes!"

"I could just eat her up!"

After a lot of this and that about Syrena, Owen and I were finally able to leave. We avoided the Maple Lake District since most of our close friends happened to live there, and all we wanted was to get home now. I was going to call them once I put Syrena in her new crib that the clinic gave us as a present, but Owen had a little surprise he had secretly planned for us at home.

I opened the door, and saw everybody that had gone to the beach last year, and Ramsey and Chloe were at my house eagerly waiting our arrival.

"SUPRISE!" Luke shouted, flying in front of us when we opened the door.

I jumped back, and I saw Syrena gave a cute baby smile. "Owen!" I said laughing. "What's all this?"

Owen kissed me, and laughed. "I wanted to do something for you and the baby, and it _was _going to be a smaller party, but I thought, 'Eh, might as well invite everyone!'."

We went inside and joined in. Anissa and Jin's little boy, Van, seemed to really like our little baby and wanted to play with her. Matt, Renee and Toby's little bundle of joy, was fast asleep, (I think) in his mother's arms. Every other girl, however, seemed to be getting very big from their pregnant bellies.

Before we knew it, all the townsfolk who had attacked us on the way from the clinic were here at my house. The party had to be moved outside for more space for the guests Owen had invited to the party he made for me. I really did love that guy so much… I knew we were both going to last very, very long with each other and I loved that idea.

"AAAHHH!" somebody yelled.

Everybody quickly turned around to see who had yelled. Suddenly, Selena was on the floor clutching her stomach. Uh-oh… I knew that pain that was going through her very well… Selena was going into labor! Jin quickly put an arm around her.

"Luke!" he called urgently. "Help me please. Your wife is going into labor now.

"N-Now? Selena, are you okay?" Luke asked worriedly.

"Oh you think I'm okay?" Selena remarked sharply. "Does it look like childbirth is just a sneeze and that's it? Well, you got it all wrong mister!"

Luke laughed nervously, and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, it's okay everyone!" he called as we all stared at Selena. "Let's just get her to the clinic and everyone else have fun!"

"FUN! FUN?" Selena shrieked. "Oh, Luke, I'm gonna…!"

Fortunately we all didn't hear what she was going to do with Luke as she walked away with Jin and Irene holding her carefully. Before Luke left, however, an idea suddenly popped in my head. I shook Owen and made him follow me.

"Hey Luke!" I called out.

He turned around and waited as we came closer. I looked at my two best friends, grinned at them, then asked, "Luke, will you be Syrena's godfather?"

Luke's golden eyes widened and he gave his famous grin. "Really? You guys sure about this?" he asked happily.

"Yeah we are!" Owen piped in as he smiled warmly at me. "We think you'd be the perfect 'uncle' for our little girl."

Luke punched his fist in the air and said, "YEAH! I can't wait to tell Selena! Oh wait… See you later!" He then ran in the direction Jin took Selena in.

Owen and I laughed, and he embraced me. "That's really sweet of you Akari," he said into my hair.

I smiled, and replied, "Well he is our best friend. He's been through so much with us… It's the least we could do for him."

Owen agreed with me and we went back to the party. But the party seemed really short… It was already late and mostly everybody had left. I had even made a triangle of godmothers with my other best friends!

"Anissa, you be Syrena's Godmother!" I said.

"Okay, and Renee will be Van's Godmother," she replied.

Renee nodded and added, "And Akari will be Matt's Godmother!"

"In case we have other children, shall we switch?" I asked giggling, and they giggled along with me.

"Aww, Syrena's so cute!" Chloe squealed. Only she and Ramsey were still at my house after everybody had left already. She held her little niece in her arms, and laughed at her grandfather's face as he stared at the smiling baby.

"I feel like a great-grandfather…" Ramsey said rubbing his eyes. "I feel extremely old now!" he added with a hearty laugh.

Owen clapped a hand on his shoulder, and said, "Gramps, you're as young as ever! Don't say that, because you're stronger than a typhoon."

Ramsey laughed and replied, "Thank you Owen. Just promise me, that when the time comes to take my place of blacksmith, promise me you'll be a great one and an amazing husband to your lovely wife, and a superb father to my great-granddaughter and the many more children to come."

"Wow that was really sweet of you Gramps!" Owen replied laughing.

"Thank you for having so much faith in Owen, Ramsey," I added, smiling at my "father-in-law".

"You sounded like Mufasa!" Chloe giggled.

Ramsey grumbled something, but he gave a small smile in the end. All five of us had some family time, and it was perfect bonding with Owen's closest relatives. I wished _my _parents were here with us right now… Or even if my grandma and my aunts were here with us that'd also be nice! I also hoped they got my letter that I wrote while at the clinic, that my little Syrena was born.

We walked Ramsey and Chloe home, and after our goodbyes, Owen, Syrena and I left back home. When we were outside, Owen got me by the shoulder, turned me around and kissed me passionately.

"Wow…" I said in awe and slightly dazed. "I-I don't want to sound rude, but what was that for?"

Owen grinned at me, and said, "Because you're the best friend, girlfriend, wife and mother in the world!"

"Oh Owen!" I said shyly.

His twinkling grey eyes looked into my hazel eyes and he said, "I love you Akari… Don't ever doubt it, and know I'll always be there for you and I'd do anything for you and…" he looked down lovingly at Syrena as she smiled at her daddy. "And for our family. I'm glad you saw me as Your Guardian Angel."

"I love you Owen," I said stroking his cheek. "I'd do the same for you, and there are no words to describe how I feel about you… I love you so much!"

He scooped me in his arms and gave me a rib breaking hug. I laughed, and we both looked down at Syrena, knowing this was only the beginning of a new generation of a new family.


	23. Chapter 23: Surprise Visit

Time passed by and everybody now had a baby of their own! Every one of them was so adorable and cute. But I'm going to say that my daughter was the cutest baby ever! Her tuft of red hair had grown, and her eyes twinkled just like her father's. I think Syrena was a fast learner; she had begun crawling, and now she was walking! I loved her… I was happy she was learning, but I hoped she wasn't growing up too fast.

Soon, it was already winter. The ground was snowy and it all looked like a blanket of white cotton. It was time to plant the few crops available during that season, and maybe buy a new animal. I was busy checking on the seeds I got, and began planting when Owen came out of the barn, on our horse, and he was carrying a giggling Syrena!

I nearly dropped the watering can, and said, "Owen, what are you doing!"

Owen smiled at me and said, "I wanted to take Syrena with me on the horse. Do you mind, Akari?"

"Oh yeah, you ask me now that you're _on _the horse!" I told him laughing. Syrena kept on giggling, and she started clapping her hands enthusiastically. To my surprise, she also spoke, "Mom! Dada!"

This time I did drop the watering can. "Did you hear her?" I asked Owen.

He gave a booming laugh. "Hell yeah I did! Our little girl said her first words!"

I giggled and went up to give our baby a hug that made her giggle more. "I love you Syrena!" I said happily.

"So can I take her out for a ride?" Owen asked me with puppy eyes.

"If you insist," I answered. "Just, _please_ be careful!"

Owen then suddenly rode off. "I will!" he called out.

I shook my head, laughing. _I know he's going to go bragging about this to everyone _I thought to myself. I continued watering the field, when I heard a voice calling my name…

"Akari!"

I turned around. _Either I'm going crazy, or that sounds like a voice I know well… _I tried to look around for the source of the voice, and when I couldn't find anybody, I went back to my business thinking I was officially going out of my mind.

"Akari!" another voice called out.

I turned around again, and saw four figures coming from the path that leads to the On the Hook store, heading here to my farm. I squinted to have a better look at the oncoming figures, and when I made no sign that I recognized any of them, all four of them called out to me again.

"AKARI!"

Once the people came into a closer view, my jaw dropped to the floor as I recognized them… It was my grandma, and my three aunts! They were here on Waffle Island, visiting me! I couldn't believe my eyes! I couldn't believe that they were actually here, heading towards my farm!

I put down the watering can down, and ran towards them. They threw their arms around me when I was nearer and we hugged each other for all eternity.

"How are you guys!" I squealed happily.

"We're great!" my aunt Kira said.

I was about to ask them how they were able to visit, when my other aunt, Aurora said, "My husband won some tickets to visit Waffle Island at his work, and he gave the four of them to us so we could come and visit you!"

"I'm so glad we got to come," my other aunt, Madison said.

"Hello," my grandma said waving. I hugged her tighter, and began to invite them inside. They knew that I had gotten married, and had a child from the letters I've sent them a few times, but they weren't able to come for either of those things.

"So, when do I meet my son-in-law?" my grandma asked, smiling.

I giggled. "He's on his way here. He took our baby out for a…walk."

We talked for a bit, and they said my parents sent their hello's from Egypt and that they wish they could be here with them, but their jobs were too busy these days. _They've always been busy_ I thought to myself.

I saw Owen dash past the window, and I excused myself to get Owen and Syrena. "Owen! My grandma and aunts are here! Come and meet them!" I said grabbing his hand.

"Oh! Well, I hope they like me!" he said, sounding surprised.

I opened the door, and smiled when the all looked at Owen and Syrena in his arms. "Guys, this is Owen. My wonderful husband and our little baby girl, Syrena!"

"Hello," Owen said politely looking at them all and smiling.

My grandma stood up and brought Owen to the table and began talking to him. While that was happening, my aunts all squealed at the sight of my smiling daughter. I brought her over to them, and they all began to fight over her.

"Oh, she has such beautiful hair!" my aunt Madison said.

"I just adore her eyes!" My aunt Kira said.

"She's going to be as beautiful as her mother is," my aunt Aurora said.

Just then, my grandma stood up and announced, "I like Owen." We all stared in surprise, and Owen stood there next to her and grinning humbly. "He is a perfect gentleman, and I feel that you and Owen will be very happy, and together for many years," she added, directing it at me.

"Now, where is my great-granddaughter? I want to see the next generation of our women!"

She held Syrena, and I knew that she loved her very much. After getting to know Owen more, we talked about his family. My aunts and grandma seemed really interested in them, so we offered to invite them over for a while for them to get to know them.

"How about tomorrow?" Aurora asked. "We want to go explore the island!"

"We should all go!" Kira said. "That's if you're not busy with the farm or your work."

Me and Owen shook our heads. "No, we're free. We can go introduce you with everybody."

"Sounds good!" Madison said. "Let's all go."

We all packed a small picnic, and left. I introduced my family to everybody and they were greeted warmly. My aunts really loved this place, and my grandma found it very peaceful. They were fascinated by the discovery that the Tree of the Harvest Goddess was in the middle of the island. Pretty much, they loved it so much, they all wished that they could come and visit every day if they could.

At the Ganache Mine District, Owen introduced them to Ramsey and Chloe. Both of them welcomed them to their home and the island.

"It's also a great pleasure being part of your family," Ramsey said, shaking my grandma's hand.

I was glad that my family and Owen's family quickly began treating each other like relatives they hadn't seen in a long time. I held Syrena closer, and she squealed as I squeezed her tummy.

Owen then put his arm around my shoulder and said, "I love your family, Akari."

I smiled at him and hugged him. "I love your family too. I'm so happy I'm part of it."

He kissed me, and kissed Syrena's soft baby cheek and Syrena giggled. "Mom! Dada!" Owen and I smiled at each other and we joined our two families in the warm conversation that brought us all closer together.


	24. Chapter 24: Growing Up

When my family left, I was a little bit sad to see them go back to the city… But Owen comforted me, and promised us a trip there one day. For the next year, I went back to the usual farming I did ever since I arrived on Waffle Island. Time had gone by so fast that our little baby wasn't a baby anymore! She was now a "big girl", and suddenly I felt old and wrinkly. I didn't want my baby to go away! I know she wasn't old enough to leave the nest yet, but I kept dreading the day that Syrena would leave us…

"Mama!" Syrena called from upstairs.

I ran up, and went in her room. "What's wrong sweetie?"

"You know how it's almost summer?" she asked with that hint of hope that every parent knows right away.

"Yes," I said trying not to laugh. "What do you want?"

Syrena giggled and made her dark green eyes go into the "puppy stare". "Lucy invited me to go to Toucan Island for a few weeks in the summer. I really wanna spend time with Lucy and Uncle Luke! Can I go mommy? Please, please, please?" she pleaded.

I looked at Syrena, and smiled at her. She and Lucy were best friends ever since they were both in diapers! I then called Owen. "What is it?" he asked once he showed up at her room.

"Syrena here, was wondering if she could spend a few weeks at Toucan Island with Luke and his family," I said.

"Did Luke ask you?" Owen asked, almost looking sternly at our daughter.

"Lucy told me that her dad asked her to ask me if I could go with them!" she babbled very fast.

Owen scratched the back of his head, then said smiling, "Well, mommy and I will have a talk, then we'll go talk with Luke and Selena. How about that?"

"Okay!" Syrena said cheerfully and she skipped downstairs.

"You just can't resist her puppy eyes, can you?" I asked Owen teasingly.

"Well, it's not my fault she happens to look like her beautiful mother!" he shot back laughing.

I giggled, then sighed. "She's growing up so fast…"

Owen put his strong arm around me, and said, "I know… But we have to make it worthwhile. I mean, yeah, we're going to have parent-child arguments, but we have to make sure that we're there for her; we need to help her get through anything, and pretty much what a kid has to go through. But I know that Syrena has a great mother by her side, and her dad by her other side."

"That's true," I added smiling softly up at him.

Owen then kissed my forehead, and looked out the window. I looked outside and saw Syrena brushing the animals, and just looking like a miniature mother for them. I always knew Syrena had that gentle side to her; she cared for the animals when they got sick, and when one of her dearest friends got sick, she made her specialty dish of Tomato Soup and went to their house to help them feel better. But I also knew she had a bit of a feisty side to her too! When she would be playing out, sometimes a little devil would sprout, and she'd do all she could to be the best in the group! And that didn't matter to me… I will always love my beautiful daughter for who she is, no matter what. Owen then looked at me, and with that smile I love so much, I knew he had thought the same thing as me, and I loved my Guardian Angel with all my dear life.

A few days later we met up with Luke and Selena to talk about Syrena going with them to Toucan Island for the summer.

"Are you sure it won't bother you or your parents, Selena?" I asked. Ever since she married Luke, I had taken a liking to her. She wasn't bad at all.

She shook her head and smiled. "No, I love Syrena very much, and my parents treat her like a second granddaughter too. I really don't mind at all!"

Luke agreed with his wife. "Yeah, she's my little niece, and I like to spoil her!"

"Don't do that!" Owen said laughing with his best friend. "That's my job anyways."

"Well, you know what I mean. It's no trouble at all!" Luke added.

"Well then, yes she can go," I said smiling at our friends.

Suddenly, we heard two loud squeals of delight. Then, gasps, giggling, and feet running out of being heard.

"I think they know now!" Selena said laughing.

We all laughed at the behavior of our daughters and we began to talk for the trip and how long they'll be gone for. Once Luke and Selena chose the schedule that they had made for those three weeks, we were able to agree with them, and began to talk about our days back in the day, before we had all started to get married and have babies. Wow, now we were really getting old!

On our way back home, Syrena almost broke our legs as she hugged them. "Thank you guys for letting me go with them!"

"Just behave yourself," I said kneeling down to her height.

"And don't cause trouble," Owen added warningly.

Syrena smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't!" She skipped off, and began to sing Love Will Find a Way from the Lion King II. One of the things she loved to do a lot was to sing. She would get my iPod and memorize any song she liked, and sing it at the top of her voice the next day!

"She sings so beautiful," Owen said.

"She does," I agreed with him.

He intertwined our hands together, and we continued our walk home.

**Two Weeks Later:**

"Bye Mommy! Bye Daddy!" Syrena called out as she walked onto the boat with Lucy.

"Bye Syrena!" I called back waving. "Behave yourself, and don't do anything bad!"

"Listen to Luke, Selena, Sue and Samson!" Owen shouted. "Or else swim home!"

I nudged him playfully, and Syrena and Luke laughed at Owen's joke. We continued shouting and waving till the boat was out of sight, and had to head home.

"Come on," Owen said taking my hand. "Don't be those moms that spend three hours at some kind of station after their kid leaves!" he added laughing.

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically.

We got home, and ten minutes later, Syrena phoned us from the Pineapple Inn like she promised us to do. She sounded so excited to be at the "coolest place" ever, so I let her go and told her to phone us whenever she could. After a last goodbye, we hung up.

I looked around for Owen, and he scared me when he jumped in front of my face. Suddenly, his eyes were very dark and intense looking, it scared me and I began to walk away. He made his way towards me, not wanting to stop, and out of being scared, I hit the bed.

"You know Akari," he said mischievously. "It's been awhile since we've been alone… I think we should take advantage of it now…"

His voice made my heart pound, and face heat up. I knew it was the perfect time, so I gave in when he began to kiss me, and let's just say it was a _true _heavenly experience that happened that day. ;)


	25. Chapter 25: Another one!

The week Syrena was supposed to come back home, unexpected storms hit for that entire week. We immediately called at the Pineapple Inn to make sure that they were all safe. Sue and Samson reassured us that all was well, and in case of something more, they had a basement with food and supplies. Syrena sounded a bit frightened on the phone, but when she heard the thunder, she went on about pirates traveling the seas and how adventurous that would be. I think her aunt Chloe had a lot of pirate stories she wanted to share with a younger child.

"Well, stay safe," I told her.

"Okay mama," she replied. "Bye!"

"Bye."

We hung up, and I tried not to worry too much about our little daughter. Who was not so little anymore, now that I think about it.

"Oh cheer up Akari!" Owen said. "Our girl is a strong one. She may not be there in her growth yet, but she's brave and strong. We know that she'll be safe."

"You're right Owen!" I said, now smiling a little. "She'll be part angel because of you."

Owen grinned at me, and scratched the back of his head shyly. I smiled bigger, and looked out the window and I nearly screamed. My cow, Lin was wandering away from the barn and headed to the field of grass outside!

"Oh my Goddess, my cow!" I screamed. I jumped from the seat on the sofa and dashed outside. There, I took hold of her and tried to bring her back to the safety of the barn. "Come on, Lin move!" I added. She mooed in annoyance as she kept trying to go back to the field. She made a sudden dash, and I fell down. I got back and with all my force, kept trying to lead her back.

"Here! Come on!" I heard Owen say. And I felt Lin move back to the barn. I looked up and saw Owen leading her with fodder in his hands to the barn. Once she was safely inside with food, and locked up, we quickly went back inside.

"Thanks sweetie," I said tiredly.

He laughed. "You're welcome honey."

"O-Owen… It's really…hot in here…" I whispered.

"Hot?" he asked surprised. "We just came back from the cold rain!"

"I-I know but I feel…" I said. My mind started getting hazy, and I got dizzy all of a sudden.

"Are you okay?" he asked in an extremely concerned way.

"I-I gotta go restroom...!"

With the rest of the force I had left, I ran to the restroom and vomited badly. It was so bad I thought I was throwing away my organs. Just when I couldn't take it anymore, I let go of Owen's supporting hand, and collapsed on the ground.

**Later:**

"Is she okay Jin?" Owen's voice asked.

"Yes she is," Dr. Jin's voice answered. "I just can't believe she did that in her condition."

"What condition?" Owen asked frantically.

"Akari?" a gentle voice said. Slowly, my eyes fluttered open and saw Anissa and Van sitting next to my bed.

"W-What's going on?" I asked weakly.

"You fainted," Van piped in.

"Yes," Anissa agreed. "You shouldn't have handled that grown cow alone at first."

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I felt my head for any injuries, but thankfully there wasn't any kind of bandages. Just then, Dr. Jin walked in with Owen trying to get back his attention.

"You have a thing for collapsing during storms," he chuckled.

I smiled weakly and rubbed the back of my head. Anissa put a comforting hand on my shoulder and I squeezed it. But she wasn't smiling because of reassurance, but because of something else… What was that? Her and Van's expressions were unreadable.

"Did you know why fainted?" Dr. Jin asked.

I shook my head as Owen came and sat down at the feet of our bed.

"Because of trying to restrain your cow and that was a lot of force by the way, the condition you're in already makes you weaker and luckily, neither of you were both hurt," he explained.

I was completely puzzled now. What in the world was he talking about? What condition? I got weaker? Neither of us? Did he mean Owen? What did he mean by all this?

"Akari, you're pregnant," he said as though Jin was talking to me about the weather.

My eyes grew big. I saw Owen's jaw drop, and stared at Jin. I was pregnant? Since when? But the thought came to me as I remembered the day Syrena left to Toucan Island…

"R-Really?" I asked.

He nodded. "Really. I'm not sure if the baby will show up on sonograms, but your body and bone structure tell it all."

Owen was still lost for words. He seemed to have forgotten how to talk. I went over to him and nudged him gently.

"Owen," I said. "Breathe, talk, live!"

He snapped out of it and began to throw questions at Jin.

I giggled, and looked at Anissa. She giggled with me as well, and she said, "So, Renee is going to be godmother of this little one then?"

She touched my stomach that was still flat for the time being. I was now going to relive being a crazy pregnant lady! Anissa seemed to have been reading my mind, and reassured me everything will be alright.

"Just don't be a crazy cow lady and overwork yourself!" she said laughing.

I laughed along with her and looked at Owen, trying to calm himself down, and at my tummy. Syrena was going to be a big sister, and we're going to be a bigger family!


	26. Chapter 26: Syrena's Guardian Angel

A few days later we were at the dock, eagerly waiting Syrena's arrival. Owen held my hand and had been more than lovable lately ever since we found out that we were going to be parents again! I wasn't complaining though; I loved this side of him the most. Over those couple of days, my hands kept going automatically to my stomach and rub it gently. We even went to the clinic the next day for actual proof of my pregnancy. I took three tests, and all of them came out positive. I was really happy… Now that I know how to take care of a child, my confidence boosted up and I just hoped Syrena would be happy about it.

A loud horn was heard in the distance, and Pascal was coming now! I nearly jumped up when we saw the boat coming closer and closer to the dock. When the boat docked, I ran to it and saw Luke, Selena, Lucy and Syrena. My daughter ran to me and hugged me.

"I missed you guys!" she cried.

"I missed you too!" I replied.

"Thank you so much," Owen said to Luke and Selena.

"Oh Syrena," I said excitedly.

"Yes?" she asked curiously.

I looked up at Owen, and he kneeled down with us, and he grinned at our puzzled daughter. Even Luke and his family looked very confused and curious as they listened in for the news we were about to tell.

"How would you feel about having a baby brother or sister?" I asked,

Syrena's green eyes widened as she said, "I'd love one! I wanna be a big sister one day! Why do you ask?"

"Because we have on the way already," Owen added, putting an arm around me.

Syrena just then jumped up and down excitedly. "I'm gonna be a big sister then? Yayy! I'm so happy!" She clapped enthusiastically.

"Congratulations!" Selena squealed.

"Aw yeah!" Luke said. "Another little niece or nephew!"

"How cute!" Lucy added, clapping with her best friend.

"Which is it?" Syrena asked.

We shrugged. "We don't know yet. How about we keep it a surprise?" Owen said happily.

"Yay! Even better! Can I sing to it before and after its born?"

I smiled sweetly at my daughter and nodded. We all shared a family hug, then waved goodbye to Luke and his family as they left home, and we began to head to our home.

**That Night:**

"No, can I ask mommy?" Syrena asked her father.

"Uh, sure," Owen said a bit disappointed.

"What's wrong?"

He shrugged. "Syrena wants to talk to you." I kissed him and went upstairs with her.

"What is it sweetie?" I asked sitting down on her bed.

She twiddled around with her fingers. "When I was at Toucan Island during the storms, I kept having the same dream…"

"Oh was it a nightmare?" I asked her gently.

Syrena shook her head. "No, it was really comforting. I kept seeing this little boy with turquoise hair, and really pretty light blue eyes… He looked a lot like Heath! And he also kept me safe from getting scared. But what does it mean?"

I smiled more gently at her if it were possible. I hugged her tight to me… Syrena was starting to have dreams about her Guardian Angel!

"Mommy?" she asked.

"Well, sweetie," I started. "Let me explain what it means."

I began to explain what the generations of the many people from my family for many years, how her great-grandmother visualized her Guardian Angel, and how her grandmother visualized hers, and how I visualized Owen.

"Wow," she said amazed. "SO I'm gonna marry Heath?"

"Did he tell you his name?" I asked.

"No. I asked him over and over again, but he said all due in time."

"Ah, well enjoy the mystery and you can see who he really is later on in the future!" I said laughing.

"You're my Guardian Angel mommy!" she exclaimed. "And I'll be yours along with daddy!"

"Thank you sweetie," I said. She touched my heart.

We said goodnight and I went back to Owen sitting down on the bed.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

I sighed happily, slumped on the bed, and said, "Syrena has a Guardian Angel now."


	27. Chapter 27: My Guardian Angels!

As always, that exact day that we had told Syrena we were going to have a baby, the news spread like a wildfire! I even went to go and ask Renee if she was ready to be godmother for my child. I was due sometime around winter. Little Syrena was so excited to see her new baby brother or baby sister. Owen did take us to pray again, but this time, we decided it didn't matter what it was, as long as it was strong and healthy.

Once the cold weather hit, our family began to get extremely excited. But Syrena was growing impatient and wanted to find out what the gender of her little sibling will be before it was born.

"Aww come on mama!" she cried out as she stopped rubbing my big stomach. "Just go to the clinic, and tell Irene to give an supersound picture thingy and see what the baby will be!"

I laughed and said, "Be patient, Syrena."

"Yeah," Owen added. "It's a surprise! Aren't surprises fun?"

Syrena looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess you're right daddy!" She giggled and went back to rubbing my stomach. "I do like surprises! I'm gonna have to wait.

There was a moment of silence till Syrena cried out, "Ow!"

"What's wrong?"

Owen and I both laughed as Syrena started looking curiously at my big stomach. She seemed reluctant to put her head back, but she shrugged and lay down again. Syrena then began to sing…

_Someone holds me safe and warm, horses prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully, across my memories… Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember, things my heart used to know. Things it yearns to remember… And the song, someone sings… Once upon a December…_

I was about to compliment my daughter on her beautiful singing to her little sibling, when I got a sharp pain… Oh boy did I _know _those pains!

"Is it time?" Owen asked jumping out of the chair.

"Time for what?" Syrena asked worriedly. "Are you okay mommy?"

"Y-Yeah," I stammered. "I-I just need to-" I was cut off my another sharp pain that attacked me.

"Let's go to the clinic!"Owen yelled.

I nodded and we headed there as quickly as we could.

**At the Clinic:**

"Just relax," Irene said as she laid me down on the bed.

I nodded and held in the pain from the contractions. I opened my eyes and saw SYrena standing there looking extremely worried.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked. She sounded so close to tears!

I smiled as best as I could and said, "Yes. I'm going to be okay! You'll see… I have my Guardian Angels here at the clinic with me, taking care of me every step of the way! I'll be out before you know it!"

She still seemed reluctant, but she clutched her father's hand.

"We'll be here for you, Akari," Owen said, stroking my cheek.

"It's almost time," Irene said. "I can take it from here.

They both nodded and left the clinic.

**Owen's POV**

_Oh Goddess! Please keep my Akari safe…_ I thought to myself. I knew that the woman I loved very much was very strong, and I just hoped that the Goddess helped keep her safe… I trusted her and Irene since she was the doctor in charge of the moment.

Syrena put her head on my lap and played with her fingers. She was nervous and very worried about her mother. I stroked her flaming red hair that she inherited from me, and she looked up after a few moments.

"Daddy?" she asked.

"Yes, Syrena?"

To my surprise, she smiled. "I closed for my eyes for a minute, and saw my Guardian Angel!"

"Oh? And what happened?" I asked her.

Her smile got bigger. "He told me that mama's going to be okay! He knows it, and I trust him a lot, so I know now that mama is going to be safe!"

I smiled at her. "I'll take your word for it then."

Syrena began singing again… _I will never let you fall… I'll stand up with you forever… I'll be there for you through it all, even saving you sends me to heaven…_

I resumed stroking her hair as she sang, till we saw Irene coming down the stairs. She was wearing that same smile she had a few years back when Syrena was born. Thankfully we hadn't waited too long, so Akari must've had a safe and quick delivery. Syrena and I stood up and went towards Irene.

"Congratulations," she said warmly. "To both of you! Owen, you're now a father of two, and Syrena, you're a big sister now. You have a bigger responsibility of taking care of the baby, helping around the farm, and be there for when your parents need you."

Syrena nodded and jumped up and down. "I'm so happy that I'm a big sister now! I'll do my best Captain Irene!" She gave Irene a salute that made us laugh.

"Well, let's go see Akari and your new baby boy."

**Akari's POV:**

I was on the bed, too lazy to move. I was too busy admiring our newborn baby boy… He had a tuft of my brown hair, and whenever he opened his little eyes, he had inherited his father's twinkling grey eyes. He was so beautiful! I loved him ever since Jin told me the news when I fainted.

I looked up and saw Syrena and Owen standing in the doorway. Syrena looked shocked, but very happy to see her new baby brother. Owen looked beyond words that could describe happiness in any way. They both made their way her, quickly and quietly.

"He's so adorable!" Syrena whispered.

"I forgot they're this small!" Owen chuckled.

"What's his name?" Syrena asked curiously, as she stroked her brother's cheek.

Owen and I looked at each other… We had no names… Again!

"What would you like it to be?" Owen asked me.

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"What's a boy name that you really like mommy?" Syrena asked as she tugged at my sleeve.

I looked at Owen. "I picked Syrena's name. Pick this little one's name." I gave him my puppy eyes that always worked with him.

He chuckled again. "Fine. Mmm… I like the name… Tristan!"

I thought about it for a moment. "I love that name!" I exclaimed.

Syrena giggled and agreed with me. "So, his name is Tristan!" Owen said as he grinned at us all." He took his son into his arms and had that look in his eyes from when we started going out, from when we got married, and when Syrena was born.

"Mommy," my daughter said. "I know you saw papa as your Guardian Angel, but I want you to know that now you have a family of little angels to take care of you and protect you! Baby Tristan will protect as he grows up and so will I, and daddy for the rest of your lives!"

My eyes watered, and I felt the tears coming. I hugged my daughter… She was right… Now I had a beautiful family that was growing, and not only was I going to protect them, but love them forever and ever…

"I love you Akari," Owen said. His greys twinkled.

"I love you too, My Guardian Angel," I replied.

We kissed each other, and heard Syrena giggling. When we broke apart, Syrena added, "I love you all! The family of Guardian Angels!"

We laughed and looked back down at Tristan… His soft brown hair, and twinkling grey eyes… I know we all had our lives still ahead of us with many more twists and turns, but we'll get through it… Just like SYrena said: Akari, Owen, Syrena and Tristan… The family of Guardian Angels!

* * *

**A/N: That's it! I had fun writng this :) For my next story is gonna be about Hikari and Wizard! ;)**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this story, and thank you for all the reviews! ^_^**


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